


A Secret Tryst

by PunkRockUrsula



Category: Samurai Love Ballad: Party! (Voltage Games App)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Bi-Curiosity, Drama & Romance, Erotica, Eventual Smut, Exhibitionism, Female Ejaculation, Feudal Japan, Flirting, Food Kink, Forbidden Love, Gay Sex, Graphic Description, Love Triangle, Massage, Multi, Ninja, Non-Consensual Groping, Older Man/Younger Man, Older Man/Younger Woman, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Premature Ejaculation, Reverse Harem, Rivalry, Samurai, Secret Relationship, Seduction, Sexual Fantasy, Sick Character, Smoking, Terminal Illnesses, Vaginal Sex, Virginity Kink, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2019-11-02 01:01:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 70,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17878076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunkRockUrsula/pseuds/PunkRockUrsula
Summary: Based on the Voltage Games App "Samurai Love Ballad: Party!", this story loosely follows Kirigakure Saizo's "Divine" Route and beyond.Soma is a passionate and headstrong young woman who lives and works with her younger brother and mother in their busy Kyoto restaurant. After she enrages the local magistrate by embarrassing him publicly, her brother is sent a conscription order to become the new poison taster for a warlord in the far province of Kai. Taking full responsibility for her foible, Soma decides to disguise herself and go in his stead; but the young virgin may end up taking in more than a little poison at the hands of Japan's most fearsome warriors of legend.Sanada Yukimura is a young nobleman in service to warlord Takeda Shingen. What he lacks in the form of sexual prowess, he more than makes up for on the battlefield. His friend Kirigakure Saizo is a mysterious ninja, dangerous and manipulative; but Soma discovers his horrific past to be stained with tragedy beyond measure. Both are intrigued by Soma's bravery and uniqueness in a war-torn Japan where a woman's fate is uncertain and often terrifying.





	1. A Woman's Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soma's true identity is discovered much sooner than she'd hoped for. Thankfully it creates an opportunity to earn the trust of a temperamental ninja, and possibly safe passage back to Kyoto.

On a busy market street in Kyoto, a young woman was suddenly distracted from her shopping for her family’s restaurant. As a portly magistrate huffed towards her, he traced his lips with his vulgar, red tongue. She knew immediately what he wanted; the same thing he had been bothering her about since she came of age many seasons ago.

 

“Marry me, Soma,” the grotesque man cooed. He extended a set of greasy fingers to fumble with her hair, and she immediately recoiled from his unwanted touch. His breath reeked of alcohol.

 

“Milord, I have told you no many times,” she protested, shaking her head as if trying to shake his very presence from hers.

 

The magistrate grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tightly against him, causing her parcels to fall onto the dusty ground all at once about her feet. As his large body overtook her with its sheer size, Soma struggled just to find her breath. The magistrate laughed evilly at her, and a small crowd of passersby started to gather to watch the commotion.

 

“I know you have, my dear,” he replied, his voice staggered by his exertion, “but my need for you becomes ever dire… much to my discomfort!” With those words he thrust his lower half against her and she felt what she could only assume was his erection through the fabric of their clothing. Her eyes went wide.

 

“Help me!” She cried aloud, to anyone who was listening. Much to her dismay, the crowd looked around at each other with embarrassed faces and slowly began to disperse. He clapped a hand over her mouth.

 

“Do you mean to humiliate me, woman?” He hissed.

 

Unable to breathe, Soma finally managed to wrench herself away from him, causing the magistrate to lose his balance and fall to the ground amongst her parcels. She spun around to face him, her fists clenched at the ready to strike; his face was red as burning coals as he attempted to stand, unsuccessfully. A group of retainers suddenly appeared and tried to help him, each struggling to bring him to his feet. Not knowing what to do, Soma fled the scene, wincing at the sound of the enraged magistrate as he shouted after her. Though no one attempted to help her before, no one attempted to stop her, either.

 

Winded from running, Soma burst through the door of her family’s restaurant, only to be greeted by the friendly faces of her customers and friends. She sighed in relief. Her mother looked up at her and her expression of surprise quickly changed to one of concern.

 

“What happened?” She mouthed the words at her daughter as she expertly tended to a workman’s empty teacup without even looking. Soma just shook her head as she disappeared into the kitchen. Her younger brother was tending the stove.

 

“Hey, Soma!” Yahiko shouted without even turning to see if it was her. “How was the market?”

 

“You’re doing a good job with that cooking fire, Yahiko,” she encouraged him, choosing not to answer his question.

 

It was true; their father would have been very proud of him. Soma didn’t imagine that being the man of the house at only twelve years old could be easy; but Yahiko fell into a routine so naturally that it was almost supernatural. The boy turned his head to look back at his sister with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Did you forget my burdock root?” He asked, very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that Soma had to stifle a giggle.

 

“I think the magistrate may have caused Soma to cut ties with all of this evening’s produce, Yahiko-chan,” Mother sighed as she entered the kitchen behind them. Soma turned to face her and bowed deeply. Mother gave a dismissive _‘tsk’_ and pulled Soma towards her. “It’s alright, little lady- Shhhh… There you go. Tell us what happened this time.”

 

Soma described her conflict with the magistrate and how disappointed she was in their community for not stepping in to defend her honour. Mother listened quietly until she was finished.

 

“Soma-chan, I hate to say it…” she said finally. “But this kitchen is the safest place for a woman in these times. We are both very lucky to still have it, and your brother, too.”

 

No sooner had she finished her sentence when a tapping came from the back door. She answered it, and a man who Soma recognized as one of the magistrate’s retainers from earlier passed her what appeared to be the parcels they thought were long lost. He bowed to them and quickly left, a look of sincere remorse upon his face; it was no secret that the magistrate was not a popular fellow, even amongst those loyal to him.

Mother set the produce down on the counter and Yahiko happily went to work on trimming the burdock root for his soup. She saw a letter marked with the magistrate’s seal poking out from a bag of garlic and picked it up, the corners of her mouth turning upward in a mischievous smile.

 

“Perhaps the magistrate wishes to convey his apologies,” she mused as she opened the letter. Her smile quickly faded, and Soma rushed to her.

 

“What is it, Mother?” She asked, putting her arm around the woman and reading over her shoulder.

 

The letter was not one of apology. In fact, it hadn’t even been written by the magistrate himself. It was an official warrant conscripting Yahiko into military service. He was to travel to the region of Kai to become the new poison taster to Lord Takeda Shingen, a prominent daimyo.

Shingen, in an attempt to align with the Uesugi clan, was marrying off his niece. Soma heard a drunk samurai bragging about it in the restaurant perhaps a month before. This plan, and of course his position, made the lord a popular target for assassination.

Many did not want to see their country unified, having prospered so well from the seemingly never-ending feuds that occurred between landowners. Skilled samurai warriors were considered as gods and were respected as such by royalty and commoners alike, forging their very livelihood from the art of spilling blood. Some of these clansmen feared that a unification of the country meant an end to their romantic lifestyle, while others were convinced that their tradition would continue for centuries to come, peacetime having no ill-bearing on the sacred martial arts. 

Soma didn’t understand the politics behind it all; though she always felt a bitterness toward the wars for claiming the life of her father only a few years before. Along with many others, he died protecting the capital from invasion. Along with many others, Soma found herself longing for the end of the age of the samurai.

 

Yahiko took the letter and read it in noble silence. As she watched him, Soma knew that this order was meant solely as punishment for her own behaviour.

 

“Yahiko…” she began, “I will go to the magistrate right away and accept his propo-“

 

“No,” he cut her off. He tried to comfort her with a forced smile that spoke of a maturity beyond his years. “I don’t want you to do that, Soma. I will make ready to leave for Kai tomorrow.”

 

They finished their dinner service with an eerie calm that was sensed throughout the restaurant. Their customers shared in the sadness of the family’s burden, and some even offered money, as well as advice to the boy about getting to Kai safely.

As they spoke, Soma listened intently, and took notes on a piece of paper she hid in the sleeve of her yukata. She knew that Yahiko’s absence would only exacerbate the magistrate’s harassment. It did not take her long to decide that she would go to Kai in his stead.

Readying herself while her family slept, she stole the pack that Yahiko had prepared earlier for his own journey, and left in its place a note for him to discover in the morning. She felt no fear of he and Mother’s displeasure, only remorse at their impending worry.

 

Despite the constant talk of conflict outside the safety of the city walls, the people she encountered on the road mostly kept to themselves. Where this would have once disappointed her considering her normally very social demeanour, she was thankful for it now. She observed those around her with a renewed fervour due to her strange circumstances and learned much on her journey about the political situation in Kyoto, as well as the particular warlord that she would be serving.

Lord Takeda Shingen was known as The Tiger of Kai, and it was common knowledge that he forced his own father from his seat of power where he placed himself in his stead. He was hence rumoured to be a soulless and wretched man. Soma understood that it would take much to betray one’s own father, and so she suspected that there was more to the story than that. She actually found herself looking forward to seeing for herself whether or not the man truly was a beast, as she was very curious by nature and usually unaffected by idle gossip, though it circulated like air throughout the restaurant.

  
The journey itself took her five days. She decided to pace herself along the main road that wound North-East through Nagoya. She stuck with other peasant travellers, carefully maintaining her disguise, and made it to Kai without any incident. That being said, as she approached the gates of Tsutsujigasaki Castle, her fate became that much more visceral. She saw the guards look her over with suspicion, and suddenly became very afraid that the warlord’s reputation for brutality might actually be warranted.

The guards reviewed the magistrate’s conscription order and allowed her onto the castle grounds. There, they told her to wait while one of them fetched a representative from the estate. She did not have to wait long until the guard reappeared with a small boy younger than Yahiko who approached Soma with a wry grin.

 

“Yahiko, huh,” the boy huffed with a confidence that rivalled her own. She nodded.“My name is Sasuke.”

 

Sasuke looked unusually focused for someone his age. Soma assumed that he was one of the servants of the estate but he carried himself with such conviction that it made her question that assessment entirely. Moreover, she wondered where his mother was.

 

“Come with me,” he indicated with a casual wave of his hand.

 

The beautiful estate was very large and intimidating. Soma did her best to memorize the layout as they navigated their way through the main house, suspecting that no one would have the patience to show her twice.

When they entered the main hall, they were met with at least a dozen hard-looking retainers facing a very regal man who was seated on the dais. What truly struck Soma was not the shock of beautiful red hair flowing past the man’s shoulders, but the muscular and much younger attendant at his side who seemed to be gawking at her rather indiscreetly.

Soma never forgot a face and recognized the young man immediately; he was one of the drunken samurai defending Shingen’s honour in her restaurant several weeks before. Fearful that she would be identified, she quickly tilted the brim of her hat so that it hid her eyes from his. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, and she drew her cloak tightly around herself to try to keep from shaking.

 

“My Lord Shingen,” Sasuke announced with a bow. “Your new poison taster has arrived.”

 

Soma’s focus remained defiantly on her feet out of fear of being recognized by Shingen’s attendant; but she knew that all eyes were on her. A slightly curvaceous woman, she herself was even skeptical about her ability to convincingly assume the identity of a young boy, and the men’s looks suddenly felt sinisterly familiar.

 

“Are you so eager to die in service to me, boy?” A deep, resonant voice boomed from the dais. It was Shingen. Soma lowered herself to the floor in a deep bow.

 

“I am honoured, milord,” she replied, and she heard Sasuke and the others chuckle menacingly from above. They had likely all seen first-hand what happened to those previously employed at the castle for this service.

 

“As you were, then,” the daimyo indicated. His deep voice was almost musical, being the only voice in the room not having a laugh at her expense.

 

As Soma stood up, she glanced towards the dais and remarked internally that Shingen was nothing at all like she imagined him to be; he was quite grand, in fact. Attractive and with a kind face when he observed her, he sat poised on the dais like the giant feline for which he was nicknamed. His eyes were golden, and shone with a passion she had not seen in a man’s eyes since her father’s. When he stood, his height stretched upward to nearly two meters; he also appeared notably strong and with broad shoulders that seemed capable of carrying the whole world if they needed to.

 

“You will have your chance to prove yourself in an hour when dinner is served,” he said. He nodded his head toward the small boy, “Sasuke, show him to his room and have him clean up. That magistrate said he’s a strong one, but he’s likely quite weary from that long journey.”

 

 _What does he mean, strong?_ Soma wondered, seriously considering the possibility that there would be more opportunities for death in her future than just by poisoning.

The handsome attendant beside Shingen piped up, suddenly even more interested than ever in the new hire.

 

“A strong one, eh?” He exclaimed, apparently excited. “We like those around here!”

 

The whole room made sounds of agreement but when Soma looked over at her small guide, Sasuke was analyzing her body as skeptically as she had been earlier. She thought that her bound bosom might give the illusion of some muscle; but her wrists and ankles were still those of a woman, and her skin bore nary a blemish. It would be very difficult, if not impossible for her to maintain her false identity if she were ever solicited to get too close to any of these men.

 

Shingen dismissed everyone and retired to his chambers. The retainers gradually dispersed until at last it was just Sasuke and Soma, as well as the youthfully optimistic attendant that remained.

 

“I am Lord Sanada Yukimura,” the young man introduced himself with a friendly smile. Soma bowed to him courteously, which the lord quickly dismissed with a wave of his hand.

“There is really no need to treat me so formally,” he continued, “I am here serving as general of Lord Shingen’s army on my father’s behalf. If you need anything at all, just come find me. Sasuke here is the student of my own personal retainer, who is… Where, exactly?”

 

He looked about the room, seemingly expecting whoever he was talking about to appear out of thin air. His piercing, turquoise eyes even grazed the ceiling, which confused Soma all the more. She wondered for a moment if the young lord was slightly mad.

 

“I guess Saizo-sensei is playing another hide-and-seek game with us, milord,” Sasuke offered. “I’ll go find him for you!”

 

As he began to confidently stroll away, the young lord grabbed him by the shoulder and guided him back to his original place at Soma’s side.

 

“I’ll go find him,” he said, narrowing his eyes at the child, determinedly. “You know the servant’s quarters better than I do, and Lord Shingen ordered _you_ to take Yahiko to his room, not me.”

 

When he said this last bit, Yukimura shot Soma a sidelong glance and bit his bottom lip as if to mute some scandalous thought.

 

 _Is he blushing?_ She wondered, noticing the lord’s unintentionally charming features. _Perhaps he is a bit mad, after all…_

 

He was no older than she, and was openly expressing some secret fascination with her from behind a pewter-brown fringe of unruly hair. Not bothering to wear juban, his muscular chest was displayed proudly underneath a loosely-tied orange yukata. If there was ever a need for a new definition of the term “manly”, Yukimura's description would fit perfectly.

Soma hid her smile behind her hand as he proceeded to anxiously march out of the room, taking one last odd side glance at her before he went out the door.

 

“Gosh, you’re small!” Sasuke exclaimed as he suddenly grabbed her hand and proceeded to curiously examine each of her dainty fingers. “Look at those tiny things!”

 

Soma yanked her arm back to escape his grasp before slipping her hands back up her sleeves. Sasuke apparently felt ill-at-ease at the prospect of any competition for his lords’ good graces.

 

“Rest assured, Sasuke-san,” she began, trying to remain as relaxed as possible despite her fear of being discovered at any minute, “my true strength lies in my will to serve.”

 

The boy narrowed his eyes at her, visibly making some calculations of his own. He replied, “We shall see.”

 

They made their way to the servant’s quarters in silence. Soma could sense Sasuke continue to analyze her carefully as he strolled alongside her. She didn’t think he meant to be hostile; but it was clear that if Soma was to maintain appearances she would have to try a little harder. They stopped in front of a sliding door.

 

“Well, here you are,” Sasuke said before giving her another long stare. “Be ready to go in an hour.”

 

Soma nodded, and In a flash the boy disappeared down the hall.

Left by herself, she entered the small room and closed the door behind her. Feeling exhausted from both her journey and her struggle to maintain her illusion, she wished that she could remove her chest bindings even for one moment. Confident that she was alone, she disrobed and found a washbasin ready with clean water by the futon. She knelt beside the bed and wet a cloth. Wiping the sweat from her body, she ultimately decided to remain bound in case she needed to redress in a hurry.

Overall, the room was very reasonable; there were some very humble furnishings, what appeared to be a comfortable bed, and her own door outside to the patio that leaked a glow of evening sunlight onto the floor through the paper. She felt fortunate that someone of her low station had access to a private room, though she supposed that in a sense she was one of the more valuable people in the castle when it came right down to it. The thought brought her little comfort, however.

Just as she was about to put on some clean clothes, she felt a sudden breeze grace by, silent as a ghost. Before she could turn around, a sharp sensation against her throat told her not to move an inch. She quickly determined that someone was kneeling behind her with a knife held firmly to her neck. With each beat of her heart, her skin made brief contact with the sharp blade. A raspy voice whispered close to her ear, sending chills through her entire body.

 

“Do you wish to do harm to anyone in this house?”

 

“No…!” Soma squeaked, in a voice not her own.

 

She couldn’t even shake from fright, the knife edge already just kissing her naked flesh; she wondered how she even managed to answer the question at all.

No sooner was Soma released from the stranger’s grasp than what appeared to be a thin old man crouched down in front of her, staring at her intently. When her eyes finally adjusted, however, she could see that the man was in fact not much older than she; only his hair was prematurely and entirely silver. Though he was smaller in stature than most of the men she had met that day, he was distinctly lithe. His aura seemed cold; but for one brief moment, Soma swore that she saw his amber eyes soften with a passing look of familiarity before settling on an almost completely emotionless expression. Despite this, she found him devastatingly alluring, and was suddenly blushing by him being so close in her state of undress. This made him smile, a nearly unkind twist of the mouth with no connection to the eyes.

 

“Good,” he said, quietly. “That means I won’t have to kill you… yet. I can come back any time I choose, just so you know.”

 

Soma nodded in understanding at the man’s words, knowing that his discretion meant that he was more likely there of his own accord rather than being the one sent to fetch her for dinner.

He gently grazed the agile fingers of one hand along her jawline, which made her quiver before she watched him vanish before her very eyes.

 

When he was gone, she clapped a hand to her throat instinctively; but she was completely unharmed other than being slightly shaken. She looked about the room and noted that there were no clear points of exit.   
She quickly dressed herself and was just tying her yukata in time for the door to her room to slide open and reveal a suddenly very bashful Yukimura. He made an uncomfortable coughing sound and she immediately shied away from his gaze.

 

“O-oh…” he stammered, raking a hand awkwardly through his hair. “N-no need to be so shy around here.”

 

Soma remembered to square her shoulders and stiffen her posture. Yukimura, though charming, appeared to be a tad oblivious; so she decided to make no mention of the mysterious intruder that was toying with her only moments before.

 

“Of course, milord,” she agreed with a smile as she stood to greet her escort. “You just startled me, that’s all.”

 

Yukimura scoffed, though his curious stare betrayed any attempt at being casual.

 

“A warrior has to be ready for anything, you know,” he said with a chuckle, and gestured for Soma to follow him. “Come, it’s time.”

 

When they arrived at the dining hall, Soma bowed deeply to Takeda Shingen and the lord indicated that she sit beside him. At the same time honoured and terrified, Soma did as she was told.

Soon enough, she was handed a bowl of soup to taste for the lord. All eyes were on her as she raised the spoon to her lips to accept whatever fate had in store. Apart from being horribly bland, the food was fine and Shingen accepted it gratefully. All present applauded Soma’s efforts, and she mustered a sheepish grin for her gawkers.

As the evening progressed and more dishes came to be tasted, the same dishes were leaving the lord’s sight completely untouched by his appetite. Soma thought that, upon closer examination, he actually appeared to be completely worn out. Dark circles haunted the spaces beneath his golden eyes, which now shone slightly less brilliantly than they had that afternoon when they first met. It tortured her nurturing spirit to see a man go without food while looking to be so in need of it.

 

“Please excuse my prying, Lord Shingen…” she began. The lord looked at her, and managed a warm smile that boosted her confidence enough for her to continue. “Are you not feeling well? You haven’t eaten anything that I’ve tasted for you.”

 

Shingen laughed and mindlessly patted Soma on the head. “I am simply weary of this awful food, young one,” he replied. “I thank you for your concern.”

 

Soma sensed that was only partly the case, but suddenly got a great idea, “I used to work at my family’s restaurant back home,” she said, and the lord’s ears perked up in interest. “Will milord allow me to cook him something that I think he will enjoy?”

 

“Why not?” He replied, and shooed Soma from the dais with a, “Give it your best.”

 

Soma was shown the kitchen and she rifled enthusiastically through all of the fine ingredients therein. She figured that a prominent lord would have access to nothing short of the very best food items from all over the country and she was not disappointed.

Settling on some rice, a few vegetables, and some beautiful fresh scallops, she proceeded to make Shingen a special porridge that she used to make at the restaurant. It was a simple, yet nutritional and delicious dish that she knew the lord would have difficulty resisting.

When she was done, she brought the bowl of porridge back to the dais and showed it to Shingen before tasting it herself. It was perfect- better than usual, in fact, thanks to the excellent quality of the ingredients she was able to use.

Shingen thanked her sincerely before accepting the dish. She was so astonished by the warmth of his aura that it felt effortless to serve him, despite the danger she was in. She knew then for herself that he had earned the loyalty of his vassals, only not with the violence that his reputation described, but with the purity of his heart.

Though perhaps only humouring her efforts at first, his eyebrows shot up the moment the food reached his lips, and he nodded approvingly, having not even yet swallowed his first bite. He ultimately finished the whole bowl before he retired for the night, satisfied and grateful to his newest servant. Everyone present was very impressed, and Soma overheard many retainers discussing the fact that this was the first time they’d ever seen Shingen finish any food he was offered. This puzzled Soma but she soon pushed the thought out of her mind when her own exhaustion finally took over.

 

The next morning, she was thankful for having slept in her clothes because she was intruded upon once again. The sun had barely risen and Sasuke was attempting to drag Soma out of bed by the leg.

 

“Hey!” Soma exclaimed. “What exactly do you think you’re doing, kid?”

 

“Kid, yourself,” Sasuke replied with a snort. “It’s time for training!”

 

“Training…?” She muttered questioningly as she followed Sasuke down the hall and out into the courtyard.

 

Sasuke looked back at her and furrowed his brows, seemingly expecting her to know exactly what he was talking about.

 

“All men under this roof are expected to train each day,” the boy explained. “We’re at war, you know. Plus, Shingen runs a meritocracy around here. If you can’t be counted on, you have no chance of your life ever getting any better than it is right now… Which, if you ask me, is pretty bad.”

 

“Gee, thanks…” Soma mumbled contentiously under her breath.

A group of men were already stretching in preparation for the day’s activities when they emerged into the courtyard. Not knowing what else to do, she stood to the side and mimicked their movements until a familiar voice sounded from nearby.

 

“Good morning, everyone,” Lord Yukimura announced enthusiastically. “Find a partner!”

 

Soma gasped audibly as the men around her paired off and began sparring with each other. Thankfully, they seemed to be too short in number for her to end up with a partner of her own.  
Her feeling of relief was soon replaced with dread as a playful tap on her shoulder caused her to spin around. A beaming Yukimura stood beside her, holding up a set of bokken.

 

“Milord…?” Soma croaked, looking at the wooden training swords as though they were two snakes poised to strike her.

 

Yukimura gave her the same furrowed look that Sasuke had earlier that morning.

 

“Take one, Yahiko!” He chuckled, already speaking to her as if they were good friends. She accepted one awkwardly. “I was told you were strong, so show me what you’ve got!”

 

Soma couldn’t help but roll her eyes. As though the fact that the magistrate had even ordered this punishment wasn’t bad enough to begin with, he’d apparently told Lord Shingen that Yahiko could fight. She assumed that touch was added as further payback for her attempt to defend herself from his assault.

 

As she watched the lord get ready to fight her, she was shaking so hard that she nearly dropped the bokken she was holding rather clumsily by the wrong end. Quickly realizing that attempting this encounter was essential in order to maintain her disguise, she tried hard to remember what little she learned from her father about proper sword fighting posture and technique. She settled into position but the weapon felt as though it weighed a ton in her small hand.

 

“Um… Okay!” She said, darting her eyes about nervously. “I’m ready!”

 

She prepared herself for potentially some of the worst pain of her life, and found herself wondering if it would have been such a bad thing to marry the magistrate after all.

 

“Alright, come at me!” Yukimura shouted and pounded his bare chest, already glistening with sweat despite the chill in the air.

 

Soma took a deep breath and charged at the young lord, bringing her bokken down upon him with as much force as she could muster. Feeling a sharp pain in her arm, she looked up to find Yukimura grasping onto her weapon with his bare hand, twisting it in an unnatural direction until it simply fell out of her grasp. He then grabbed ahold of her and spun her around so that he had both of her arms restrained as he stood behind her.  
Unable to recall a time in her brief period of adulthood when a man as attractive as the young lord was pressed so closely against her, she shivered impulsively, in spite of herself. Yukimura cursed aloud, and backed so quickly away from her that she nearly toppled backwards. As she regained her footing, she turned to face her opponent, whose face was redder than anything she’d ever seen.

 

“What’s the matter, Lord Yukimura?” One of his retainers teased between dodging his partner’s jabs. “Is the poison taster as strong as we were led on?”

 

The other retainers couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous look of embarrassment on their leader’s face, and soon they had all stopped what they were doing to witness his awkward display.

 

“N-no…” he stuttered nervously, raking his hand through his hair as he had a tendency to do when he was flustered. “He just smells _really_ good…”

 

The crowd of retainers erupted in laughter.

 

“What do you mean he _smells good_ , milord?” Sasuke chimed in, ignorant to the obvious reaction the young man was having to being in contact with Soma’s voluptuous body. The boy’s question just made the other men laugh even louder.

 

 _By the gods, this is the end…_ Soma thought, and readied herself to accept her fate.

 

“The young lord is obviously unused to being in the company of such cleanly persons,” chortled someone from overhead.

 

To Soma’s surprise, the same grey-haired fellow that she had encountered in her room the previous day jumped down from a nearby tree and approached them, clearly amused.

Sasuke quickly rushed to the man and, grinning from ear to ear, bowed to him. The man rustled the child’s hair with his hand like Soma’s father used to do to her when she was a little girl.

 

“Ah, Saizo…” Yukimura greeted him, coughing and shaking his head as though awakening from a nightmare. “There you are. This is Yahiko, Lord Shingen’s new poison taster.”

 

Though this news should have shocked him due to their previous encounter, the man revealed to be Sasuke’s teacher just stared at Soma with the same blank stare as before.

 

“Is that so?” He replied, already obviously bored with their conversation.

 

Soma could not believe how casually the man was behaving toward his better. She determined that he must be as talented as Yukimura implied in order to get away with such a carefree attitude. Despite this, she was thankful to him for not revealing her true identity. She wondered if and when he ever intended to.

 

“Anyway, everybody, that’s it for today!” Yukimura declared, still flustered, and now unable to look at Soma for reasons unknown to them both. “Tomorrow is the big day, so let’s prepare ourselves to show them what we’re really made of!”

 

The men all cheered in unison, pumping their fists in the air.

 

“Wait, what?!” Soma exclaimed, losing her self-control and practically tripping over herself to get to Yukimura’s side; but he had taken off toward the main house at top speed and was not able to hear her calls over the din of the other men. She turned to the one called Saizo, who was still observing her with his amber eyes. “Me, too?”

 

“Oh yes,” he answered, the thin line of his mouth stretching across his graceful features in an evil smile. “The poison taster is always sent to the front lines. It’s tradition.”

 

Soma felt like she was going to faint at any moment. Sasuke poked her in the stomach, and she swatted his hand away defensively.

 

“What’s wrong with Yahiko, Sensei?” He asked his master, who just shook his head.

 

“Just a bit of nerves, I’d imagine,” he replied as he looked Soma dead in the eye. “If he stays close to Shingen he’ll be just fine.”

 

With that bit of obtuse advice, the two disappeared. Soma was left alone in the courtyard, the pit of her stomach growing ever deeper until she thought it might just swallow her.

 

They left at dawn the next morning, and were treated to a chilly rain for their journey to retake some property or another that was lost to another clan several weeks before.

When they set up their camp, Soma was told to fetch Lord Shingen his tea. When she returned with the heavy tray, her foot caught on a rock in her path and she flung forward into the warlord, landing right on top of him. She simultaneously felt something whizz past her head, and just beside her was an arrow sticking out of the ground. Shingen’s retainers ran to their aid, and the lord immediately called for the attack.

 

“So it begins…” The man said quietly as he helped Soma to her feet.   
  


Chaos suddenly unfolded before her very eyes, and Soma tried her best to remain at Shingen’s side; but soon found herself lost in the fray. In no time at all she was approached by a small group of enemy soldiers on horseback. There was nowhere for her to run, and so she had no choice but to stand her ground. She was shaking so hard that the tanto she brandished was practically vibrating in her small hand.

 

“We seem to have found ourselves a straggler!” one of the soldiers taunted. His compatriots laughed, clearly very excited at the prospect of spilling her blood.

 

“Look out, Yahiko!” A little voice shouted; it was Sasuke. The boy was suddenly standing in front of her with the intention of protecting her. “Just you check this out…”

 

He reached into his pocket and in no time at all, all of the men fell from their mounts at once as they screamed in terrible agony. He grabbed Soma by the hand and tried to lead her to safety but more soldiers moved in to block their path.

 

“Damn…” she heard the child mutter. “I’m out of shuriken.”

 

Once again, he staked his place in front of Soma, intending to shield her with his own small body. The young woman was at once touched and horrified by his bravery.

 

“Sasuke, save yourself! Run!” She shouted at him and saw his look of shock when she placed herself between him and the enemy soldiers instead.

 

Just as the first soldier was about to bring his sword down, there was a flicker of movement, and all of their attackers were suddenly on the ground. They didn’t even have time to scream before they met their end.

Soma looked up and saw a dark figure in a fox mask holding his hand out to her. She accepted it and soon found herself being carried effortlessly through the air. The figure dropped her beside a tree far away from the fighting and, before she could thank him, he disappeared. She watched as Sasuke chased after him, trying to keep up, and realized that her rescuer was none other than the curious Saizo. She wondered why he had even bothered to help her, but felt grateful for the chance to live another day.

She clung to the tree where she was left and watched the battle from the sidelines. She felt terrible for doing so; that is, until she saw an enormous character in red armour swinging a yari over his head and ruthlessly taking down everything around him. She saw the unusual glimmer of Lord Yukimura’s turquoise eyes, now filled with an unbelievable bloodlust. As she witnessed his escapade of violence, she could not believe that this animal was the same bashful and kind man she’d met only a day before.

Suddenly, a surge of pain coursed through her leg and she fell to the ground. She looked down at her ankle and she saw that it was becoming swollen and red. She assumed that she must have sprained it when tripping into Lord Shingen; and now that the excitement of her situation had worn off it was finally time for the agony of her injury to set in. Muttering a curse under her breath, she continued to watch the battle from her hiding place until the enemy finally retreated and it was time to go back to the castle.

Lifting herself to her feet using the tree as leverage, she began to limp feebly in the direction Shingen’s soldiers were marching. She didn’t even make it to the back of the line before another surge of incredible pain rendered her once again to the ground. She knew that in a moment a swell of hopeless tears would likely erupt from her eyes; but before her bottom lip could even wobble she felt a great presence behind her.

 

“Yahiko! Glad to see you came out of that one!” Yukimura exclaimed, clapping Soma so hard on the back that it knocked the wind out of her and she whimpered. “Oh no, are you injured?”

 

Soma thought at first that the young lord was being facetious until he crouched down in front of her and started anxiously analyzing her body.

 

“It’s just a sprained ankle, I think, milord,” she replied, and found herself blushing at his attentions.

 

“Well, let’s get you home,” he said, and swung her over his shoulder with embarrassingly minimal effort. “With that ankle you’ll never catch up and probably wind up getting captured!”

 

Soma knew better than to protest, but felt terribly when she noticed a gash on the lord’s leg. The other men teased him mercilessly for being so soft on her but Yukimura took it on graciously. At no point did he seem to be struggling with his burden, and he joked and talked pleasantly to her for the duration of their journey. She wondered how a man so seemingly unaffected by everything could be at all affected by someone of her low status. Still, she was thankful- to both he and Saizo.

 

The next evening, they enjoyed a raucous celebratory meal in honour of Yahiko’s swift deflection of the poisoned arrow meant for Lord Shingen at the battle. As guest of honour, she was first to drink and everyone applauded the young boy’s ability to take down a cup of sake like it was water; though after the day she had she was ready to take down several.

After Shingen retired for the night, Soma was given an opportunity to thank Saizo in person for his help on the battlefield when Yukimura suggested she join them on the roof for a nightcap. Though quite drunk, the young lord climbed to the rooftop easily, and practically lifted Soma up after him like a rag doll. Crouching down to gain some footing on the steep roof, Soma scooted after the lord as he moved to sit near a motionless shadow perched at the very peak.

 

“What is _he_ doing here?” The shadow sighed.

 

“Shut up and drink your drink,” Yukimura retorted, and gave the figure a shove.

 

This caused it to move just far enough for a shock of silver hair to catch a glimmer of moonlight.

 

“Saizo-san…” Soma said, determinedly. “Thank you for your help earlier.”

 

She sat down next to Yukimura and tossed Saizo a small bag, which he caught with one hand and quickly opened.

 

“How…” he began but trailed off as he popped one of the balls of dango that she’d made him into his mouth. “Hmph, these are good,” he added, under his breath.

 

Soma knew that Saizo had his reservations about her. After all, he was the only one to know her secret; and without knowing any other detail, he somehow knew not to interfere. Even if it was only for amusement’s sake, he was allowing her to do what she needed to, and for that she was truly thankful.

 

“No way! Dango is Saizo’s favourite!” Yukimura exclaimed, and once again clapped Soma hard on the back with his big hand.

 

“Is that so?” She whimpered as she gripped the tiles beneath her so tightly she thought her fingers might bleed. It was all she could do to keep herself from possibly falling to her death.

 

“ _Is that so…_ ” Yukimura scoffed. “I thought it was a well-known fact that Kirigakure Saizo would let somebody get away with murder if they left enough dango by the corpse! One day out of nowhere when we were kids he came home and started demanding them as payment. Isn’t that right, Saizo?”

 

“Did _you_ make these?” Saizo asked Soma, ignoring Yukimura’s question. She nodded.

 

“They’re my specialty, actually,” she said. She quickly decided to steer the conversation away from herself. “So you know each other pretty well, then, I guess?”

 

“Saizo has been in my family’s service since I was five years old. He is my best friend in the who-“ Yukimura began but was interrupted by Saizo feigning to choke on his dango.

 

Soma laughed at Saizo’s reaction to Yukimura’s confession, but she regained her composure immediately out of fear of the shinobi’s promise to revisit her in her room if she acted out of line.

In spite of Saizo’s less-than-casual attempts at dissuading Yukimura from revealing nearly everything about them, the young lord entertained Soma with many stories of their childhood and how they came to fight for the Takeda Clan.

 

“You could say that Lord Shingen is like a second father to me… But what of your family, Yahiko-chan?” Yukimura asked, suddenly embarrassed for talking too much.

 

“My mother is probably worried sick about me,” she replied, smiling at the thought of her family back in Kyoto. “When my father died we were left to care for the family business. I have… An older sister called Soma. I guess that’s about all, really…”

 

“ _Soma…_ ” Saizo repeated in a playful whisper and popped the last piece of dango into his mouth. He followed it with a long draw of sake.

 

“Come on, Saizo…” Yukimura protested, raking a hand through his hair. “You know how I get when we start talking about women haha- _hic_!”

 

Yukimura hiccuped violently, knocking into Soma and forcing her to careen forward toward the edge of the rooftop. Before she could even cry out for help, Yukimura’s arms were around her, holding her in place rather unfortunately by a cup of flesh in each of his hands. He gasped, audibly.

Soma, intoxicated and with her guard lowered, spun around and smacked the young lord square in the face. To her horror, his eyes rolled back in his head and he plummeted from the roof into the hedge below.

Saizo stood and applauded her while he laughed hysterically. For the first time, a vision of his true self shone through the darkness, even if it was solely due to Soma’s incompetence.

 

“Aren’t you going to help him?!” She cried, suddenly realizing what she had done.

 

“Oh, he’s fine,” Saizo said, and slipped down the other side of the roof and out of sight.

 

Soon enough, a group of their comrades surrounded the fallen lord as Soma watched in terror. As per Saizo’s assessment, Yukimura was indeed fine, albeit much more flustered to be in Soma’s company than ever before. Without a word, he stomped off to the main house as the men snickered at their hopelessly socially-awkward general.

 

Later that evening, strewn in a deep bow at the Lord Takeda Shingen’s feet, Soma apologized profusely for her deception. As she explained her situation, Shingen remained quiet, but clenched his fist in anger at the description of the magistrate’s disgusting behaviour towards the young woman and her family.

 

“Well,” he said, finally, “in light of this new information, young lady, you are free to go home at your leisure. Please write your family and tell them you are safe.”

 

“Thank you, Lord Shingen!” She cried, overjoyed. “I will do as you say.”

 

“S-she’ll need an escort…” Yukimura said quietly. “It’s far too dangerous for a… woman to be traveling alone. I mean what with the Hojo lurking about and all.”

 

 _Is he… Sad that I’m leaving?_ Soma wondered, suddenly feeling much worse about her lie than before. She wasn’t sure, but considered that the young lord had been genuinely attempting to befriend her the past few days.

 

“I’ll do it,” offered a calm rasp behind them.

 

Soma looked behind her and saw Saizo standing in the doorway to Lord Shingen’s quarters, still holding his jug of sake. He was eyeing her thoughtfully. A week’s travel was no easy feat alone, she knew first-hand; but she couldn’t understand the motivation for his generosity. Whatever it was, she had a shinobi escort back to Kyoto and was practically exuding joy from every pore.

 

“Very well. Thank you, Saizo,” Shingen said with a yawn. “ Now let’s everyone get some rest.”

 

Before Soma could thank Saizo for his offer, he was gone again. Yukimura tried to ignore her when they passed each other on the way to their respective parts of the estate. Soma impulsively stopped him by touching his sleeve, and he stood by her for a moment, looking confused at her small hand.

 

“Lord Yukimura,” she said quietly, “I am sorry for deceiving you, most of all. You are a great man and I am honoured to have met you. Thank you so much for your kindness.”

 

Yukimura blushed, then winced as he began to nervously rake his hand through his hair and touched the goose egg he’d earned from falling off the roof.

 

“I’m sorry, too,” he said with an awkward smile, then proudly added, “You’re as strong as they come, Soma. Remember that in times of trouble.”

 

“I will, milord,” she replied, and heard him gulp when she added, “thanks to your leadership.”

 

In her room, Soma’s eyes and mind hurriedly sought out distractions in the dark from her selfish musings. She thought about how the young lord would make a caring husband someday, in spite of his hopelessness around women. She allowed herself a small smile at the thought of him coming to fall in love with someone like her, however impossible the odds.

The air felt eerie that night, as though the scent of death still loomed overhead from the battle. She couldn’t help but think of Saizo in his fox mask, reaching out to her like he had the answer to every question that ever crossed her mind. It excited her. _He_ excited her. She thought about what it would be like to be close to him again, his careful touch exploring more than just the curve of her jawline.

She immediately shook the thought out of her head.

Certain that she couldn’t sleep, she washed herself and sought out some clean clothes. Much to her surprise, her closet was now equipped with women’s garments instead of the attire she arrived with. She supposed that there was no wasted time in Lord Shingen’s home and slipped on a simple, yellow yukata over her juban.

She slid open her door and silently stepped onto the patio with the intention of taking a walk in the garden to clear her mind. Before she got even a few feet from her room, however, she collided with a modestly-dressed young man carrying a basket of red flowers.

 

“Oh, I am so sorry!” She said as she clumsily helped him return the flowers to their vessel from which they fell. It seemed that she was not yet finished her path of destruction that evening.

 

“No, no, it’s my fault,” he replied, helping her to her feet. “I don’t think we’ve met. I am Midorikawa Seijiro. I’m the gardener.”

 

“Oh, you’re the reason everything looks so nice around here!” She said with a smile, and gestured toward the beautiful gardens that surrounded the Takeda estate. “My name is Soma.”

 

“I thought they called you Yahiko…” Seijiro muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. She shrugged. “Well, it appears you’ve been having a confusing time, Soma,” he finished with a teasing grin.

 

“Yes…” she replied, looking down sheepishly at her new clothes, “that appears to be true, Seijiro.”

 

The young man was wily like Saizo, and rather handsome; and Soma thought that his eyes promised an equal amount of secrets, despite his jovial demeanour.

 

“Are you out for a walk this late at night?” He asked her, and she nodded. “Well, then, I won’t keep you from your respite. It was lovely to meet you!”

 

As he hurried off to wherever he was going, Soma continued on her walk toward the gardens until she felt a familiar breeze grazing over her shoulder.

 

“You look nice,” the breeze whispered.

 

Suddenly Saizo was standing in front of her, smelling sickly sweet. Dark spots stained his face and clothing, and he seemed dishevelled compared to his appearance only a couple of hours before. Soma became suddenly anxious that he might be injured.

 

“Sai…!” She began, but the shinobi quickly covered her mouth with his gloved hand. She soon confirmed that what she was smelling on him was indeed blood.

 

“Hush now, little lady,” he said softly. “Night time is quiet time.”

 

She nodded, and he lowered his hand from her face. Though still shocked by his sudden materialization, and in this state of filth, she thought it very coincidental that he should think to call her by the same nickname her mother did.

 

“Why are you covered in blood?” She questioned him, reducing her voice to a low whisper. He sighed, and went to the nearby well to quickly wash his hands and face.

 

“Is that better?” He asked her when he returned. She cocked her eyebrow at his seemingly persistent sarcasm.

 

“Not really,” she replied, hiding a grin behind her hand. He chuckled.

 

“What are you doing out here so late, anyway?” He asked, obviously attempting to change the subject.

 

“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied, then her eyes lit up. “I am glad I ran into you, though! I wanted to ask you when you would be able to bring me back to Kyoto…”

 

“Well,” he began with a smirk, “there is the important discussion of payment, first.”

 

Soma’s heart sank at these words. _How could I be so stupid as to think that a hired killer would actually want to do me a favour out of kindness?_ She thought as she regretted pining for him back in her room, however temporarily.

 

“I see,” she said, unable to hide the disappointment in her tone. “How much do you want?”

 

Saizo held up five fingers, and she reasoned that five gold could be obtained; she would just need to get to Kyoto to get it.

 

“I can do five,” she said, determinedly, “the minute we get back to-“

 

“Five _hundred,_ ” he cut her off. Soma scoffed aloud, but he appeared to be completely serious.

 

“You know that somebody like me could never afford anything near that!” She argued, and felt the hot sting of tears forming in her eyes. She averted her gaze so that he would not see.

 

“If you wanted charity, you should have asked Yukimura to take you,” he debated with her, coldly. “You said yourself that your family owns a restaurant. That must count for something. How confident are you traveling alone now that you’ve been seen by my master’s enemies?”

 

“What does _that_ mean?” She demanded, now genuinely panicking. Saizo exhaled an impatient breath.

 

“I’ll tell you what,” he bargained, as his amber eyes flashed in the moonlight, “I have a task that you can help me with. If you do as I say, I will take you home.”

 

“Anything!” Soma cried, exasperatedly. Saizo raised a finger to his lips to remind her to be silent as frustrated tears ran down her face.

 

He leaned closer to her until their noses were almost touching. It made her blush, which once again coaxed a funny smile out of the shinobi. Most importantly, it made her abandon her tears.

 

“I need you to get to know that gardener,” he said.

 

“Seijiro?” She asked. He nodded. “What’s wrong with him? He seems like a nice enough man…” she protested, but Saizo just stared at her.

 

“You don’t need to know,” he cautioned. “Just find out all you can about him, and report back to me.”

 

Soma blinked, unbelieving that Saizo would actually ask _her_ to assist _him_ with anything. She did think that Seijiro seemed nice, for what it was worth. _If Saizo just wants information, I can do that…_ She tried to convince herself, thought she knew deep down that Saizo was more than likely to use the information for some nefarious purpose.

 

“I’ve never done anything like this before…” she admitted. “Where would I even start?”

 

“Start by asking him where he’s from,” Saizo instructed, then disappeared just as the sky began to lighten.


	2. The Art of Seduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soma is asked to spend time with Shingen's niece in preparation for her journey to Echigo to be married to the Uesugi clan head, while Saizo grows ever impatient for information about Seijiro the gardener- for good reason.

In the morning, it was requested of Soma to escort Shingen’s niece, the Lady Kiku, on one last trip into town before she was sent off to marry. While she waited in the gardens for the lady to get ready, she decided that she would take the opportunity to speak with Seijiro, who was weeding a flower bed a few feet from where she stood.

 

“Good morning, Seijiro!” She called to him as she approached. He turned his head and greeted her with a warm smile. “Can I help you for a bit while I wait for my friend?”

 

“I don’t see why not,” he replied, wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve. “You might get a bit dirty, though!”

 

“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said, and knelt down beside him. He scooted over to share the mat he was kneeling on.

 

Soma tried to be discreet about her intentions, but was feeling a bit nervous.

 

“Are you alright?” Seijiro questioned, perceptively.

 

“I’ll be honest with you, Seijiro,” she replied, averting her eyes to the flowerbed, “I can’t say that I’ve ever done this before but I really want to learn. Can you show me?”

 

“Of course,” he said, and proceeded to pull a weed out by the roots in a way that she could see.

 

As the two worked together, Soma asked Seijiro where he was from. He said he was from the West. Though his answer was vague, Soma felt too embarrassed to pry any furtherand decided to take her questions in another direction.

 

“Do you have any family?” She asked. Seijiro paused for a moment and thought about her question.

 

“I do not,” he replied, and returned to his work. “Do you?”

 

“Yes, my mother and brother,” she said, thinking about her relatives fondly. “Though I have not seen them in what seems like ages. My father died a few years ago.”

 

Seijiro appeared affected by this development, as though he was also remembering someone.

 

“My sister is also dead,” he revealed. “I do miss her dearly.”

 

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Soma gasped, the realization of his humanity reinforcing itself like a steel nail in her conscience.

 

She felt terribly for even attempting what Saizo had asked of her. Thankfully in just a few short moments, the Lady Kiku called out to her from across the garden. Soma wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw a distinct look of familiarity echo between she and Seijiro.

 

As the women walked to town with handmaidens in tow, they spoke and laughed about many things; though Kiku, slightly younger than Soma, seemed particularly fond of the subject of men.

 

“Isn’t Lord Yukimura just completely clueless?” The lady asked her, giggling like a little girl. “I bet he was beyond embarrassed when he accidentally touched your breasts!”

 

“Does everybody know about that?” Soma moaned with a grimace. Kiku laughed at her reaction.

 

“I’d marry _him_ as long as it meant remaining at Tsutsujigasaki,” she boasted. “Even if he is slightly daft.” Soma cocked her eyebrow at her, not helping but to feel slightly protective of the young lord.

 

“Are you not pleased to be uniting the Takeda and Uesugi Clans, milady?” She asked. Kiku sighed exasperatedly.

 

“It’s not that…” she replied, a look of sadness descending upon her face. “It’s that I’m in love with someone else.”

 

“Oh, Lady Kiku!” Soma gasped, genuinely sad for the girl. “I’m so sorry!”

 

The lady shrugged.

 

“I will have to do something about my manners, though, before I get there,” she said with a smile. “Is that not so, Soma?”

 

“There is nothing wrong with being a little strong-willed, milady,” Soma replied.

 

“And what of you, Soma? Is there anyone you fancy at the castle?”

 

Soma blinked, not expecting the lady’s question. She recalled her nighttime musings and couldn’t help but to feel slightly interrogated.

 

“I understand,” Kiku said with a knowing smile. “You don’t have to answer. Maybe you’ll meet someone today!”

 

When they reached the village, Kiku showed Soma her favourite teashop. The lady treated her to lunch and they sampled some of the finest tea that Soma had ever tasted. Though Lady Kiku’s handmaidens stared at her jealously, Soma forced herself to indulge at her new friend’s insistence.

Afterwards, they perused the shops for a while until it was obvious that Lady Kiku was getting a little bored.

 

“Watch this…” she whispered, then called over to a handsome young man that just happened to be standing nearby.

 

Much to Soma’s chagrin, he smiled and approached them. When she looked to her friend, however, Kiku was gone. He proceeded to put his arm around Soma, which made her cringe.

 

 _Is this really how men behave nowadays?_ She thought as she pushed him away.

 

“Oh come on…” he pressed, grabbing at her arms in an attempt to pull her closer, “I thought this was what you wanted, pretty one! Let’s go somewhere we can get better acquainted…”

 

Before Soma could even open her mouth, she felt a swift breeze at her back and the man was on the ground. Soon Saizo was standing protectively in front of her.

 

“Hey, you can’t just-“ the man began to shout angrily as he stood, but Saizo cut him off.

 

“This woman is a guest of Lord Takeda Shingen,” he said, calmly. “If she is to come to any harm, the consequences to the perpetrator will be most fatal.”

 

 _Boy, that made him turn tail and run…_ Soma thought as they watched the man hurry anxiously away.

 

“You didn’t have to do that, Saizo,” Soma said with a shy smile. “I really appreciate it.”

 

“Was that not a service worthy of payment?” He replied as he turned to face her.

 

Soma saw that his expression was as blank as usual, his eyes unaffected whatever by her plight, nor her subsequent thanks. Her heart sank. She reasoned, however, that had he not intervened she would have probably not escaped the young man as easily as she’d done the fat magistrate back home.

 

“What do you want?” She asked him, begrudgingly. Once again, the shinobi lifted his hand and extended five fingers. Soma cried, furiously, “I thought I told you I couldn’t-“

 

Saizo pointed toward a cart selling skewers of dango, which made Soma fall silent, completely flabbergasted. She went and bought five skewers of dango, and when she handed the bag to Saizo, he took it and quickly had the contents stowed away in his belly. Unable to do anything but laugh at the strange man, Soma wondered if she’d ever seen him eat anything but the confection since she’d first made them the other day.

 

“These ones are not as good as yours,” he said, thoughtfully. “Oh, have you found out anything about your gardener friend?”

 

“Well,” Soma began, trying to recollect their conversation earlier that morning, “he said he is from West of here, and that his sister is dead.”

 

“That’s not a lot,” Saizo chided. Soma could only shrug, not knowing what kind of information he was expecting to hear about a gardener, anyway.

 

After Lady Kiku was finished having her wedding gown altered at the tailor’s, Soma and Saizo stayed behind and continued to walk together through the marketplace. Soma suddenly came upon a hairpin that reminded her of the one her father gave to her years ago. When she turned to show her escort, however, he was several feet away and speaking to another man she’d seen around the castle. She assumed he was the same as Saizo, a shinobi from Iga village. When the man left, Saizo returned, looking a tad more serious than usual.

 

“I need you to get more information,” he said. “Otherwise there is no deal between us.”

 

“Well, what do you want me to do,” Soma argued, “sleep with him?”

 

Saizo just stared at her as though the answer to her question was obvious. Before Soma could protest, Lord Yukimura and Sasuke called out to them as they approached from the other side of the street.

 

“Saizo…” Yukimura addressed his subordinate with a hint of suspicion on his face. “What are you doing here?”

 

Soma thought the lord’s reaction to seeing Saizo with her was odd; but before the shinobi could answer, Sasuke bounded in front of his sensei excitedly.

 

“Lord Yukimura showed me a new wrestling technique today!” He shouted. “Want to see?” Saizo shot the child an irritated look that made him cease his fidgeting immediately.

 

“Anyway,” Yukimura continued, annoyed at being interrupted, “it’ll be dark soon. We thought we’d come see if Soma was alright after running into Shingen’s niece and her servants on the road…”

 

“I’m just fine, Lord Yukimura,” she said, bowing to him. “Thanks to Saizo here.”

 

When she righted herself, Saizo was gone. She didn’t see him for the rest of the evening and wondered if she’d done something to embarrass him.

 

The next morning, Soma stepped out onto the patio. At Lady Kiku’s request, she was to entertain her once again while she prepared to leave for her wedding the following day.

Much to Soma’s surprise, Saizo was napping on the floor just outside her room. His lithe body looked like a long cat’s as he leaned against the railing with his hands folded behind his head. He opened one eye, lazily.

 

“Still no luck, eh?” He asked her. She knew he was talking about Seijiro.

 

“I was just about to go find him, actually,” she explained, and gestured toward the gardens.

 

“I think it’s time for the art of seduction, little lady.”

 

“You’re out of your mind.”

 

“Am I?” Saizo contested, as he stood and approached her. He was much taller than she remembered.

 

As he stared directly into her eyes, he slowly backed her against the door to her room. She felt overwhelmed by him, unable to tear her gaze from his. Without skipping a beat, he reached behind her and slid open the door. She began to fall backwards, but was quickly caught and placed with her back against the adjacent wall.

His arms extended on either side of her, she was trapped; but instead of fear she could only feel her heart race wildly in her chest. Saizo’s amber eyes shone with the promise of a passion known to a woman only once in a lifetime. They fixated only on her, as though he existed solely for the purpose of her pleasure. Soma wondered if he was going to actually kiss her, and began to fumble nervously with her hair. She found herself thinking that she might let him do anything he wanted to her, regardless of the consequences. He leaned in closer, and she could smell his sweet breath. He closed his eyes, and so did she, her lips swollen red with excitement.

 

“Oh!” Sasuke’s voice exclaimed. “Sensei is showing Soma the art of seduction!”

 

“How interesting…” added Lady Kiku. “Soma seems very responsive to Saizo’s technique, doesn’t she?”

 

An impetuous _‘tsk’_ came from above her as the weight of the shinobi’s presence slowly rescinded. Soma wondered whether Saizo was so caught up in his actions that he didn’t know that they were being watched. The thought made her blush furiously; but when she opened her eyes, Saizo was standing by the others, his expression as cold as ever.

 

“It is amazing what one can do with even the simplest gaze,” he explained to them.

 

“Oh! Test me, Saizo!” Lady Kiku exclaimed in excitement.

 

“Alright. Tell me what you would do to seduce someone.”

 

Kiku unabashedly bounded towards him, and flung her arms about his shoulders. Then, she brought his face down to hers and whispered something into his ear. When she was done, she giggled and backed away from him, seemingly quite pleased with herself. Saizo looked at Soma with a hint of mischief in his eyes that made her furious.

 

“Very good, milady,” he said. “You’re a natural. Now, Soma, show me a look you would give someone you wanted to seduce.”

 

Soma blinked, taken aback by the casualness of his tone. She felt humiliated at being caught once again in one of the shinobi’s games but was sure that no one else in the room was aware that he was having a go with them but her. Sasuke and the Lady Kiku appeared simply amused by his tricks, oblivious to the anger Soma felt. Lady Kiku looked at her expectantly, her hands clutched together in anticipation of Soma’s failure. Sure enough, the look on her face just made Saizo chuckle.

 

“Are you trying to win a staring contest, Soma?” He asked, making Sasuke and Kiku nearly barrel over with laughter.

 

“Pardon me, milady,” she said suddenly, still glaring at Saizo, “but I must fulfill a small errand before our visit.”

 

Soma bowed to the lady before leaving the three intruders alone in her room. Infuriated by Saizo’s tricks, she winced as she unintentionally slammed the door closed behind her; however she felt a renewed inspiration to fulfill his assignment. If she succeeded she would be retuned to Kyoto and would never have to deal with his arrogance again. She shook away her frustration and concentrated on her target.

Deciding to sweeten the unpleasant experience of being stalked by a strange girl, she stopped by the kitchen to assemble a few of her sticks of dango to give to him. As to be expected, she found Seijiro in the garden, tending to a flowerbed full of black lilies. When he noticed her approaching, he looked up at her and smiled, and Soma felt immediately calmed by his pleasant demeanour.

 

“Good morning, Soma,” he greeted her as he wiped his hands off on his apron. “Have you come to help me again?”

 

“I’m afraid not, Seijiro,” Soma replied, shaking her head. “I am off to spend the day with Lady Kiku before she is sent away tomorrow. I just wanted to say hello- oh, and give you some of these!”

 

Soma noticed a sudden change in Seijiro’s features; a confusing combination of surprise and angst that was gone as soon as it showed. _Perhaps there really is more to this man than he says,_ she wondered.

 

“It’s tomorrow, is it?” He asked; but his face was now friendlier than ever. “Oh, I haven’t had dango in ages… I first had them when I was a little boy, you see. A girl gave me some to stop me from crying haha! Can you imagine?”

 

“What an adorable story!” She replied, then suddenly remembered something incredible.

 

Many years ago while she was playing on the outskirts of town, Soma came upon a boy who was very upset. Having only her own personal snack to offer him, he took the confection, gratefully. She recalled him saying that he had never had it before, and thought it to be rather odd at the time, having been lucky enough to grow up in a restaurant that served it.

 

“It’s odd that you should say that, Seijiro,” she continued, “because I had a similar experience many years ago.”

 

“You don’t say?” The man replied, scratching his head, “perhaps you were the girl!”

 

“It was a long time ago…” Soma deflected, remembering Saizo’s cautionary attitude regarding the man she was speaking with.

 

“Well, Soma,” Seijiro said as he handed her a bouquet of the gorgeous black lilies he was tending, “here’s to a bright future for all women, maids and brides alike.”

 

“For me?” She asked, taking the bouquet from his outstretched hand. He nodded, a rosy blush appearing on his high cheekbones.

 

Soma suddenly found herself completely disinterested in her task and forgot much if not all of what she even intended to say to the man. Completely enthralled by the mysterious-looking flowers, she could think of nothing but their dazzling beauty. Embarrassed by this, she immediately thanked him and wished him a good day; but before she could leave, she felt a light touch on her shoulder.

 

“It seems you have an admirer…”

 

Soma quickly looked back, expecting perhaps that someone else had joined them. Instead, Seijiro held a small caterpillar in his hand that he had apparently plucked from her clothing. They smiled at each other once more before Soma returned to her room to place Seijiro’s gift in a vase.

 

“Who gave you those?” Saizo asked her seriously as he emerged from the shadows.

 

“You know exactly who gave them to me,” she retorted without even looking up. She was growing accustomed to the people here constantly intruding on her personal space. _Don’t tell me he’s jealous or something…_ she thought.

 

“You are probably unaware of this,” the shinobi began softly, standing over her as she knelt by the vase, “but it is customary to return a gift of flowers with flowers. _Not_ dango.”

 

“I’ve never received flowers, so I wouldn’t know.”

 

“Well, the next time you see him,” Saizo continued, gently placing a bouquet of purple skyflowers onto the bed beside her, “give him these and see what he has to say.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Soma looked back to where Saizo’s voice was coming from but she found herself alone in her room. She sighed and wiped away the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. Reassuring herself once more that her humiliation would soon be over, she proceeded to Lady Kiku’s quarters.

When she arrived, the first thing that Soma noticed was a vase by the lady’s bed that contained the exact same type of lily that Seijiro had given to her that morning. Her mind began to race.

 

“Milady,” she attempted casually, unable to tear her eyes away from the vase, “who gave you those pretty flowers?”

 

“They’re just divine, aren’t they?” The lady replied, clasping her hands together sentimentally. “They were a gift from my lover, actually.”

 

Soma gasped.

 

“Oh, Soma…” the girl began to explain as Soma drew parallels in her own mind, “I trust you, so I will tell you my secret. The man I am in love with is Seijiro, the gardener. Do you know him?”

 

“Yes, milady…” Soma replied, attempting to hide the shock in her voice. “I have seen him often on the grounds. Is he fairly new to the castle, like I am?”

 

“I think he has been here for many years,” Kiku explained, thoughtfully, “-before I even came here… But I’ll admit that it’s only recently that I began to find him so handsome. Please don’t judge me! You don’t know my circumstances…”

 

“Milady, I would never…”

 

Shingen’s niece told her everything about her relationship with Seijiro; how he pursued her so sweetly, and about their plan to run away together which was thwarted by the decision to send her away early.

Soma understood the lady’s position; though she herself had never been in love before, she knew what it was like to be forced into making an incredibly difficult decision. She considered, however, that Seijiro’s intentions might not be exactly what the lady anticipated. _Does he intend to make me Lady Kiku’s replacement?_ She wondered, thinking back to his flirtation in the garden.

 

“Thank you for listening to my plight, Soma…” Kiku said between sniffles as she pressed a beautifully-made kimono into her arms. “Please take this as a token of my thanks. I will no longer be needing it.”

 

“I can’t accept this, milady!” Soma exclaimed, having never even touched anything so expensive.

 

“I was supposed to wear it for Seijiro on our wedding night,” the lady explained, “but that will never happen now. Please, just take it from my sight.”

 

Doing as the lady asked, Soma brought the kimono back to her room. Thinking it might be best to hide it away for the time being, she couldn’t help but be tempted to try it on beforehand.

She looked down at herself in awe; never before did she imagine wearing anything so elaborate, though she had seen much more elaborate in the high-end shops of Kyoto. Still, the garment was stunning; surely a terrible waste on someone like her.

 

As she was just about to undress, she heard a knock at the door. Not thinking, she just said, “Come in!”

 

“Where did you get that kimono?” Seijiro questioned her somewhat impatiently as he closed the door behind him.

 

“Seijiro!” Soma squeaked in surprise. “It was a gift from Lady Kiku!”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“I’m glad you’re here, actually,” she said as she attempted to redirect his attention. “I have something for you…”

 

Seijiro grimaced as she handed him the bouquet of skyflowers that Saizo had brought her. She felt immediately taken aback by his sudden change in demeanour.

 

“I suppose Kirigakure Saizo told you to give me these,” he said, his voice taking on a mocking tone.

 

“He said that the gift of flowers should always be returned with flowers…” she began to explain; but she was rendered mute as Seijiro clasped both hands around her throat.

 

“Did he explain to you what the flowers I gave you and Kiku mean?” He asked.

 

Soma quickly shook her head, unable to break his gaze. She soon realized that the man was using the same technique Saizo did to render her docile earlier. _He was trying to prepare me for this, wasn’t he?_ She thought as her legs began to weaken beneath her.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” she gasped in a voice not her own. Seijiro’s grip around her neck tightened.

 

“No, you really don’t, do you?” He hissed. “The black lily is an omen of death! You even put them near where you lay your head, not knowing my ill-intent… You are a fool indeed worthy of death!”

 

Unable to breathe, Soma collapsed. She heard Seijiro run out of the room; and in an attempt to warn someone that the lady might be in danger, she crawled weakly onto the patio. Soon, the world around her faded to black.

 

“Soma is in trouble!” Sasuke shouted. “I don’t think she’s breathing!”

 

Yukimura and Saizo immediately responded to the child’s cries of distress. Yukimura was beside himself with worry but Saizo calmly took out a capsule from a pouch inside the folds of his garment and crushed it between his back teeth.

He took Soma into his arms and, to Yukimura’s horror, lowered his face to hers. He kissed her deeply, forcing the medicine down her throat. Yukimura tried to pull her away but Saizo held her fast until the last of the medicine was gone. He then relinquished her to his friend, who grabbed hold of her and rocked her in his arms until she revived.

 

“What… happened…?” She asked, fluttering her eyes open to meet the young lord’s sincere look of relief. This sentiment was soon ruined when she tasted the remnants of something awful and bitter in her mouth and started choking.

 

“I hope you’re going to take responsibility for this, Saizo!” The young lord shouted angrily. Saizo rolled his eyes.

 

“I simply gave her a restorative,” he assured his master.

 

“That’s not what it looked like…” Sasuke began but fell silent as Saizo shot him another lethal look.

 

“Lady Kiku is in danger!” Soma exclaimed, suddenly pushing away Lord Yukimura and bounding to her feet.

 

“I’m going to go get Shingen,” the young lord said, determinedly. “Saizo, you stay with Soma.”

 

The moment he was gone, Soma took off in the direction of Lady Kiku’s chambers. Sasuke looked at Saizo expectantly.

 

“Are you not going with her, Sensei?” He asked his master, who stood calmly returning his medicine bag to its hiding place.

 

“I suppose I should,” Saizo sighed, then disappeared in the direction Soma was headed.

 

When she reached Lady Kiku’s room, Soma found her and Seijiro embracing. When he spotted Soma, however, his face twisted in a look of rage and he pushed the lady away from him onto the floor. Soma instinctively ran to her and shielded her with her own body to protect her from the man’s impending attack.

“What is the meaning of this?” Kiku demanded, but Soma would not remove herself from the girl’s side.

 

“Be careful, milady,” she cautioned, “this man is not who he claims to be!”

 

“I’m afraid Soma’s right,” Seijiro chuckled, his face taking on a sinister kind of madness that the two women both found absolutely frightening. “Apparently, spending so much time among the weak has reduced my efficacy to kill. Worry not, you shall both be sent to hell very soon!”

 

“What do you think you are doing?” Saizo asked as he joined them.

 

“Kirigakure Saizo!” The man exclaimed, grinning ecstatically. “I am a lowly worm called Fuma Kotaro, your most sincere admirer from afar!”

 

“You don’t say,” Saizo said, casually placing himself between he and the women. “A Fuma… Your clan is aligned with the Hojo, yes? You were sent here to thwart the alliance between the Takeda and Uesugi clans, I suppose.”

 

“You are as clever as they say, Saizo-san!” Kotaro said as he bowed deeply to the shinobi. “I murdered Shingen’s prized gardener and took his place! I would have succeeded with my plan, too…”

 

“So what stopped you from just killing the girl and being done with it?” Saizo taunted.

 

Soma glared at the back of his head, horrified that he would ask such a thing in front of Lady Kiku. Kotaro just laughed hysterically, as though the answer to Saizo’s question should be obvious.

 

“Because I just wanted to meet you so _badly_ …” he revealed, making a grabbing gesture at the man. “I know so much about you yet still have so many questions; why do you have two swords but only ever use the one? Is it true that you killed your best friend and now carry his sword to remind you? You are the worst devil in all of hell’s great acres! How can you even defend these women now, after seducing and murdering so many women in cold blood?”

Soma’s eyes went wide. If what Kotaro said was true, there was much more darkness to Saizo than she ever imagined possible. She saw his determination to remain calm in his body language as he ignored the interrogation; but she wanted him to speak up and deny Kotaro’s accusations so badly that it made her heart ache.

 

“Such an uninspiring shinobi,” Saizo said finally. “How will you ever succeed in your mission now that we all know what you look like?”

 

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Kotaro replied. “When my only true desire is to defeat you, Saizo, everything else is just passing the time…”

 

“Interesting…” Saizo mused as they watched Fuma Kotaro disappear.

 

Soma put Lady Kiku to bed immediately and took away the evil death omen in the vase by her bed to have it burned. Visibly shaken, no one dared say a word to her until they all assembled in the main hall to discuss the afternoon’s events.

 

“It is now more important than ever that we get Lady Kiku out of here as soon as possible,” one of Shingen’s retainers cautioned, “lest this Kotaro person return to finish what he started!”

 

Everyone else in the room seemed to agree, except for Yukimura. The young lord just stood helplessly at Shingen’s side, his gaze to the floor. Saizo stood by him, his arms crossed like he was shutting himself out of the conversation entirely. Soma supposed that, unlike her, he knew his place.

 

“Are you all mad?” She exclaimed in desperation. “Lady Kiku is in no shape to travel after the horrible trauma she endured today! I beg you to have compassion for-”

 

“Enough!” Shingen commanded, causing everyone present to fall silent. “Lady Kiku’s procession will leave tomorrow as planned.”

 

“My Lord Shingen,” Yukimura began, speaking quietly to the daimyo, “perhaps Soma has a point. Lady Kiku hasn’t stopped sobbing since the incident. We are all fearful for her health…”

 

Shingen held up his hand to silence his friend, and gave an exasperated sigh. He then looked directly at Soma, who was feeling even more powerless than usual.

 

“Soma, thank you for taking care of my niece,” he began, his face taking on a look of sincere kindness and gratitude that calmed her immediately, “but your services are not required here. Please make your preparations to go home.”

 

Soma wanted to scream at her comrades, appalled by their lack of humanity. She instead quickly lowered herself into a deep bow before them. Yukimura appeared shocked and disappointed by Shingen’s decision but was not willing to contest him further. Saizo’s expression embodied the same unaffected blankness it always did. Soma was reeling internally, saddened beyond measure by the majority’s callous judgment of the girl’s situation. It was clear that they had little concern for her well-being.

 

“Yes, milord,” she said. “Thank you so much once again for your kindness and hospitality.”

 

Back in her room, Soma carefully removed the kimono given to her by Lady Kiku. She laid it out on her futon and stared at its fine embroidery for a few moments before neatly folding it and placing it deep inside the closet where she intended to leave it behind. She’d considered bringing it with her to sell, certain that the wily Saizo would back out of their deal last minute and she would be forced to once again travel alone. This time, she wouldn’t even have her disguise, as everything she’d brought with her had been confiscated days ago when she was discovered as an imposter.

Once again unable to sleep, she found herself wondering what exactly the flowers she gave Kotaro were supposed to mean that the sight of them would upset him so. Skeptical that Saizo would ever tell her, she decided to sneak outside to find someone else who might: the man she saw him talking to down in the village.

As she snuck around the gardens in the dark, it didn’t take long for her to feel the familiar mysterious breeze that generally indicated the arrival of a shinobi warrior.

 

“Looking for something?” A voice inquired.

 

Soma turned and spotted a man about Saizo’s age, with long black hair and sporting a dark red yukata, surveying her from the shadows. Beneath an austere brow shimmered a set of violet eyes that could dazzle any viewer; close up he appeared very graceful and slightly feminine. His aura immediately rivalled Saizo’s in its approachability, for which Soma was thankful.

 

“Yes,” she replied as she approached him, “I’m looking for you, actually… My name is Soma.”

 

As the man stepped out of the foliage that surrounded them, he temporarily appeared flattered by her words before his face quickly settled back into an emotionless void.

 

“I know who you are,” he said. “You may call me Kiyohiro. What do you wish of me?”

 

“Well,” Soma began, “Saizo gave me a bunch of purple skyflowers to give to the man impersonating Seijiro. He knew the moment I gave them to him that Saizo had me do it. Why would he react that way? What do they mean?”

 

“You assumed correctly that the flowers had meaning,” Kiyohiro revealed. “You see, shinobi utilize many methods of communicating in order to remain discreet. Everything about a gift- especially flowers- has hidden meaning, right down to its colour. This is not so different from how everyone does things, no? Well, to a shinobi, your purple skyflowers say ‘I have my eye on you’.”

 

“Oh, that makes sense,” Soma replied, “because Saizo seemed to know that the man was an imposter from the beginning… and wanted him to know that he was watching him?”

 

“Soma…” Kiyohiro said quietly, his lips turned slightly upward in a smile, “I believe that the person Saizo wanted Kotaro to know that he had his eye on was you.”

 

“What?” She nearly spat, her face turning red. “Why do you think that?”

 

“Please pardon me for saying so but I am Saizo’s arms and legs,” he explained, apparently amused by her reaction. “I can tell you with utmost certainty that he has not strayed far from your side since the moment you got here.”

 

Soma stood in silence for a moment, pondering the shinobi’s words. She wondered if Saizo still distrusted her, and that was the reason for his message. She’d hoped to bond with the people she met at the castle but knew in her heart that she didn’t really belong there. She suddenly realized that she was the real imposter in this situation as long as she could do nothing to make things right for all those she’d inconvenienced with her presence.

 

 _Imposter… I’ve got it!_ She thought, and quickly wished the shinobi a good evening.

 

“Milord, I wish to go to Echigo in Lady Kiku’s place,” she declared as she entered the main hall. “She is not well enough to travel. The journey could kill her even before Fuma Kotaro gets to.”

 

Lord Shingen and his retainers were still there, finalizing the details of the bridal procession’s journey. Each of their mouths dropped open in turn at her intrusion before Saizo ultimately approached her and attempted to escort her back out of the room.

 

“Wait!” Shingen commanded, and Saizo shot Soma a cold look before he let her once again approach the dais. “You wish to resume your state of peril for my benefit, young one, and you will tell me why.”

 

“It is my desire to do right by those who have spared my life despite my deception,” Soma explained, knowing they would not deny her the right to this penance. Shingen ran a meritocracy, after all. “Lady Kiku is my friend and I fear greatly for her. Please, this is the very least I can do for you all.”

 

Shingen held his hand in the air to silence all present as he considered Soma’s offer.

 

“Very well,” he deliberated finally, “Yukimura will accompany you.”

 

“I am honoured, milord,” the young lord declared with a bow. “My Ten Braves and I will ensure the safety of the procession.”

 

“I’m not going,” Saizo said suddenly, turning to his own master. “Sorry, dear, but you will have to count me out this time.”

 

“Saizo, wai-“ Yukimura began to protest; but before he could finish his sentence Saizo was gone. He shot Soma an apologetic look.

 

“Please, milord,” she offered, “let me speak with him.”

 

“As you wish,” he replied with a smile.

 

Soma stepped out into the courtyard and spotted Saizo on the rooftop where she was first discovered as a woman. She knew that she wouldn’t have seen him had he not wanted her to; so she climbed up to join him- in her woman’s clothing, which made her a little proud of herself.

Saizo silently watched her approach as he popped a piece of dango into his mouth. Soma was curious as to why they disappeared so rapidly from the kitchen each day she made them, and finally had her answer. The realization made her smile though Saizo just continued to stare at her coldly.

 

“Saizo,” Soma began as she sat down beside him, “I just wanted to tell you that you are needed on this journey.”

 

“Yukimura, though dense, is an excellent protector,” he replied quietly.

 

“Well, that’s not-“

 

“Plus it’s not part of our deal.”

 

 _Is he pouting?_ Soma wondered, unable to help but giggle at the man’s sour attitude.

“It would mean very much to me if you came,” she explained.

 

“There you go, bringing emotions into things again like an idiot,” he retorted, shoving another piece of dango into his mouth.

 

“Hey, I made those, remember?” She chastised him and he averted his gaze. “I don’t know why I feel the things I do, okay? I just know that if I don’t at least try to help Lady Kiku when I am in a position to do so, that I will end up regretting it for the rest of my life.”

 

For a distinct moment, a look of surprise crossed Saizo’s features before he reeled it back inside himself. It was the first time Soma had seen an unintentional display of emotion in the man since the night they first met.

 

“I knew someone else who used to talk like that,” he muttered.

 

Soma felt bad for him, realizing that he was likely referring to the friend of his who died. Why he couldn’t just say what he meant, she didn’t know. Everything about the man confused her. She knew, however, that inside of him was still a beating heart. Otherwise, he would not have a taste for food that was made with love.

 

“It will rain soon,” he said suddenly, and looked up at the sky. “You should go inside.”

 

Soma did so, hoping that whatever decision he came to would be the one that was the most fortuitous for him. She got the impression that Yukimura had to apologize for him quite a bit; yet he still kept him on as his vassal. _Surely,_ she thought, _the man has merit when and where it counts._

Yukimura was like her; loving came naturally to them both. It was no wonder their bond blossomed so quickly. Saizo, on the other hand, was apparently not so fortunate. Raised by a shinobi clan, nothing at all came easily to him. It only reinforced Soma’s theory that, though he exuded the most control and was the most disciplined of the three of them, he was in fact the one in most pain.


	3. Here Comes The Bride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bridal party leave for Echigo but a surprise attack forces Saizo and Soma to spend the night together. Soma discovers that there is much more to being a lady than just dressing the part as her friends criticize her tomboyish mannerisms.

The bridal procession gathered before sunrise the next morning. As Saizo promised, it had been raining steadily since the previous night. The skies were dark, and everyone was dressed warmly to keep off the chill of the weather.

Shingen made the decision to stay behind; however, accompanying Soma and the others was none other than his own brother Takeda Nobukado, Lady Kiku’s father. Soma was rather shocked to find out that he was the splitting image of Shingen; albeit not at all as agreeable.

 

“This will never work,” he huffed as he looked over Soma like she was livestock. “This woman doesn’t possess even a hint of nobility in her entire body.”

 

“If you’re so opposed,” someone contended from behind them, “will you not send another one of your daughters in her place?”

 

They turned around and saw Saizo among them, though he had not made his presence known until that moment. Soma was overjoyed, as was Lord Yukimura, who clapped his friend on the back with a hearty laugh. Saizo winced at the young lord’s action, appearing even more sour than usual.

 

“Who are you to chide me, murder-for-hire?” Nobukado retorted angrily. “You Iga-born would slit your own mother’s throat for a bit of gold.”

 

Saizo stared coldly at the man, who grew increasingly uncomfortable by this until he finally stormed off.

 

 _Nobukado should not have said that…_ Soma thought to herself, wishing she was in a place to defend her companion. For the sake of the mission, however, she decided to remain silent. This was made easier when Lord Yukimura called her over to him and ordered the rest of their party to ready themselves for departure.

Before she got inside the palanquin, Soma gave worried looks to Yukimura and Sasuke, as the latter held the curtain open for her.

 

“Don’t worry about Saizo,” Yukimura offered, also unable to believe his friend’s amazing self-control after Nobukado’s brazen insult, “he gets cranky when the weather is like this.”

 

“Yeah, Sensei doesn’t sleep often,” Sasuke reinforced, “so he typically uses rainy days to go off someplace to rest. He says it’s harder to sneak around in bad weather anyway because of muddy footprints.”

 

“That’s what he says,” the young lord piped up, his tone becoming slightly distant, “but I can tell you that he never used to be like that.”

 

Soma spent much of her solitude in the palanquin thinking over Yukimura’s admission and she wondered what exactly happened to the man in service to the young lord to have made him so strange.

She pictured Saizo as a youth; determined, headstrong- all the qualities he was known for as a famous shinobi. Over time these traits had apparently begun to serve more as roadblocks than resources because they made him impossible to get close to. This might come in handy for a shinobi, but not for a human being. It was his reluctancy to befriend her, however, that made her want him to all the more.

 

By morning, the procession had made considerable progress down the mountain road from the castle, so they stopped for a short break. Soma exited the palanquin to stretch and noticed Saizo high up in a tall tree, surrounded by crows. Though the birds squawked and leered at the procession, they seemed completely comfortable around the shinobi; one even sat atop his shoulder and he stroked its beak lovingly.

 

“Yukimura,” he called down, “we should get off this road.”

 

“I see…” the young lord replied as he furrowed his brows. He turned to Soma and shrugged his shoulders, smiling kindly at her as always. “It seems that our journey to Echigo will not be an easy one after all.”

 

“Preposterous!” Nobukado exclaimed, storming towards them. “This is the most direct route and it is the one we decided upon! What would you have us do? Scale the mountain like goats while carrying such heavy cargo?”

 

The lord gestured rudely at Soma, whose face became emboldened with a rage the others had previously never witnessed. All around her fell silent.

 

“If I am such a burden,” she said, shaking, “then I would sooner walk!”

 

Before she could make a move, however, she felt someone’s hand enlace with hers. When she looked up, Saizo was standing beside her. Entranced by his amber eyes, she let him lead her quietly back to the palanquin. She did not mind his tricks if it meant that she would be saved the embarrassment of trailing her own bridal procession.

 

“You should stay in here, little lady,” he said. “You’ll get soaked walking about.”

 

“Miss,” one of the attendants said with a kind grin, “worry not. You are as light as a feather.”

 

The others nodded in agreement and Soma felt thankful for their consideration. She held the curtain open a bit after she returned to her seat so that she could better see and hear the rest of the argument.

 

“Should we even trust this… this devil?” Nobukado continued his rant, apparently disapproving of shinobi, as well as Yukimura’s insistence on using them.

 

“If you would sooner die at the hands of Hojo’s shinobi than trust one of ours, then by all means continue on this road,” Saizo replied, calmly.

 

Yukimura stood in silent solidarity by his friend, with his arms crossed. Soma understood early on that, for what must be good reason, he trusted Saizo completely.

Once again, the lord simply threw up his hands and stormed away. The procession continued a ways before they came to the spot where Saizo had indicated was a reasonably painless detour.

Suddenly, Kiyohiro appeared out of nowhere and smiled at Soma through the opening of the curtain. A sudden gust of wind blew through the trail, teetering the palanquin and almost sending Soma flying outside. Kiyohiro caught her in his arms and placed her gently back in her seat.

 

“Oh, thank you, Kiyohiro…” she said.

 

“It is nothing,” he replied. “I am Saizo’s arms and legs after all.”

 

As the man continued to walk alongside her, Soma took the opportunity to clarify Yukimura’s odd statement back at the castle.

 

“Is Saizo feeling unwell?” She asked.

 

“As you know, Saizo hates the rain,” he explained, “but it is actually my favourite time to be out.”

 

“I did hear that, yes…” she confirmed, looking down at the man’s feet as they plodded along gracefully beside her. “Muddy footprints, right?”

 

“That’s just an excuse,” Kiyohiro revealed, chuckling. “A shinobi of his caliber wouldn’t be hindered by anything as trifling as that.”

 

“Oh, I wasn’t saying…“

 

“Saizo loses himself from time to time,” he continued. “The rain brings it on. It’s as though he just cannot be himself.”

 

Soma wondered why the man would be revealing such personal information, and something in his eyes made her suddenly grow very wary.

 

“Get away from that man!” Someone shouted from the other side of the palanquin. Soma watched in awe as another Kiyohiro suddenly appeared.

 

“You’re Fuma Kotaro!” Soma shouted at the imposter and started to panic, recalling his icy grip around her throat.

 

“Kiku…” he hissed at her, “you are a smart girl after all. I will give you a beautiful death!”

 

With that, he yanked Soma from the palanquin and threw her effortlessly over his shoulder. The procession flew into chaos as the men attempted to retrieve her but Kotaro thwarted each of their efforts with ease. He bounded away high into the trees with a terrified Soma kicking and screaming in his arms. Far below she could see a frantic Yukimura getting smaller and smaller as they floated further and further away.

Kotaro landed them in a small clearing. The wind was fierce and Soma shielded her eyes as the leaves and forest debris picked up around them.

 

“It’s very easy to chase someone so close to the cliffs,” a familiar voice came from above them. Soma looked up and saw Saizo standing on an overhanging branch. “There is really only one direction you can go from here.”

 

“I wasn’t sure you would come,” Kotaro’s voice shook with mirth as he readied his kusari-gama. A flash of lightening reflected off the sickle blade that he caressed with one hand.

 

Saizo jumped from his perch and the two men began to fight. As blurs of shinobi whizzed past Soma through the trees, she remembered what Saizo had told her once about this type of weapon: that it takes a man of great skill to wield it properly. Watching them do battle, she worried for Saizo as the rain poured down on them, understanding that her friend might not be in his best form.

The kusari-gama’s chain flew towards Saizo and encircled him, which would have meant certain death had he not caught it before it locked around his body. Kotaro, thinking that he had Saizo in his grasp, laughed horridly. His eyes were locked on his target and full of fire and Soma shook with fear at their bloodlust.

 

“I did not think my victory would come this easily, Saizo…” he mused. “You must really hate the rain after all; and here I thought it was just some kind of folktale.”

 

“It messes up my hair,” he retorted, and spat on the ground.

 

Saizo tensed his body and yanked hard on his end of the chain. This surprised Kotaro and he accidentally lost his control of his end. As the weapon was torn from his grasp, the sickle raked across his arm and cut it deeply, making him gasp and stagger backwards. Soon he was near the cliff edge, where the soil was beginning to erode from the rainfall. He didn’t realize that Saizo was actually using their quarrel to push him to that location until it was too late. The cliff edge began to quickly crumble beneath his feet and Fuma Kotaro disappeared with a terrible cry.

 

“Do you think he’s…?” Soma whimpered, eyes wide as she watched Saizo lazily toss Kotaro’s weapon aside and approach her on unsteady feet.

 

“We should leave this place,” he said as he pulled her towards him.

 

He continued to hold her silently for a moment after a failed attempt to pick her up. The rain was cold but he was unusually warm for being soaked through to the bone. She let him lean into her to support himself, returning his embrace. He began to shiver uncontrollably.

 

“Saizo…” Soma tried desperately to think of a way to convince him to accept her care, “I think you have a fever. Please, let me-”

 

“I hear Yukimura calling to us nearby,” he interrupted, his voice shaky. “Go to him, little lady. He will protect you.”

 

He pulled away and staggered weakly into the forest, which grew ever darker from the impending nightfall. Soma watched him helplessly. She began to hear Yukimura’s calls, also, far off in the distance. She impulsively threw down her heavy cloak and chased after Saizo into the trees.

She tracked some unsteady footprints through the forest and came upon a shack hidden deep in a thicket. She entered and found Saizo there, practically unconscious on the floor in a shivering ball.

 

“I’m sorry to disobey you but I need to warm you up,” she said as she knelt beside him and took off her cape.

 

Wrapping the garment around him, she pulled him close to her so that together they might generate some body heat. His eyelids fluttered feverishly as she wiped his wet hair away from his face with her sleeve. He looked so defenceless; but Soma wondered just how many others he would have let handle him in his state. She squeezed him tightly against her and whispered kind words to him as he lolled his head around in a daze. After a while he lost consciousness from the fever. She rocked him gently in her arms until she couldn’t help but succumb to her own exhaustion.

 

Saizo awoke holding something soft and warm. It was Soma, snuggled securely in the crook of his shoulder; she was lying on top of him, fast asleep. He remained perfectly still, selfishly allowing himself the comfort of her warmth and steady breathing for a few moments longer.

 

“Please let it be a sunny day today…” she muttered, apparently dreaming. “I’ll make you a rain ghost, Saizo…”

 

Saizo smiled at her babbling as he felt the expensive fabric of the cape that they shared as a blanket. He skillfully slid out from underneath her and wrapped it back around her. For her sake, he did not want them to be discovered in that position.

He did not remember much after his encounter with Kotaro. He did remember instructing Soma to go to Yukimura yet she did not. To follow him instead was an impractical decision on her part but he found himself feeling thankful for her company. Kotaro knowingly lured him using Soma and he fell willingly into this trap against his better judgment. He tried to recall the last time he’d allowed himself to do something that stupid.

 

“What a silly, little thing you are…” He whispered as he watched her sleep.

 

Soma’s eyes slowly opened to find the shinobi seated a few feet away. She wondered if he really did mind her intrusion into his solitude after all, or if he was perhaps even embarrassed or put off by it. Either way, as she’d hoped, the sun was shining outside and Saizo no longer looked feverish. His silver hair glimmered in the rays of sunlight that peered through holes in the wooden structure and he appeared very comfortable.

 

“There you are!” Yukimura said as he suddenly popped his head in the door. His eyes widened considerably when he noticed Soma and Saizo sitting together on the floor. “I did say to Sasuke that it would be very fortunate if we found both of you, um… together…”

 

“I’m glad we didn’t disappoint you,” Saizo replied with his usual austerity.

 

“What happened last night, anyway?” The young lord prompted, in an incapably unsubtle tone.

 

“Last night? Oh, it was incredible,” Saizo teased as he flashed him a wry smile.

 

“What is Sensei talking about, milord?” Sasuke chimed in as he snuck past Yukimura into the shack.

 

“The rain!” Soma interjected, her face growing red. “Saizo had fallen ill… I thought it best to seek shelter, milord!”

 

 _Oh no! Does he think that I was trying to do…_ that _with him?_ She wondered, pulling her cape tightly around herself.

 

“Yes, indeed,” Yukimura agreed as he quickly attempted to regain his composure. “Well you seem to be feeling more like yourself, Saizo. We should probably get back to the procession.”

 

“Yes, dear,” Saizo replied.

 

Sasuke helped Soma to her feet and she caught a hint of a smile on Saizo’s lips as he looked casually in her direction before exiting the structure. She hoped that she wasn’t still blushing like a fool.

 

On the final night of the journey to Kasugayama Castle, they took rest at a nearby temple to refresh themselves. The monks provided a scrumptious meal for them, and Sasuke stuffed himself with food, making the most embarrassing noises imaginable. Even Saizo was eating something other than dango for the first time in what seemed like weeks. The only person not enjoying themselves was Soma, who paced the length of the room restlessly.

 

“We’re going to have to remember our manners for tomorrow, Sasuke,” Yukimura scolded, which elicited a loud guffaw from the child. The young lord just shook his head and sighed.

 

When he had finished his meal, Saizo stood and approached Soma, who appeared even too distracted to notice him staring at her.

 

“I’m sure you know better…” he began, scratching his chin in thought, “but you’re not going to go around walking like a man in front of Uesugi, are you?”

 

Soma stopped in her tracks and blinked at him as she became suddenly aware of her nervous behaviour. She quickly hid her hands up her sleeves to stop from wringing them.

 

“I seemed to have Kotaro convinced,” she reasoned, narrowing her eyes at him. “Do men really notice what a woman is doing half the time anyway?”

 

“Anyone of importance will notice a lady behaving improperly,” Saizo explained with a sly grin. “Do you know how to move like a proper lady in those clothes?”

 

“I… think so,” she said, hesitantly. She thought it best to be vague for vanity’s sake.

 

“Show me,” he replied, extending his hand as though he was giving her the floor.

 

“Yeah, Soma,” Sasuke exclaimed with a mouth full of rice, “show us what you’ve got!”

 

Soma slowly began to imitate her memories of Lady Kiku’s movements, carefully scrutinizing the faces of her companions for any kind of validation.

 

“You look like an octopus!” Sasuke observed, not thinking he was being impolite.

 

“A bit more like a squid, no?” Yukimura analyzed as he rested his chin on his fist contemplatively. He appeared to be completely serious.

 

Soma would have laughed at the young lord’s facial expression had the focus of his concentration not been her own ridiculous appearance. She didn’t even want to look at Saizo’s reaction; but when she dared to his face held its usual placidity, which was now a source of comfort to her wounded self-image. She slumped to to floor in defeat.

 

“There, there…” Saizo offered her, finally; only after sighing exasperatedly.

 

“What sort of animal did you think I looked like, Saizo?” She asked him. She felt utterly dejected but the man was having none of it.

 

“Let me teach you,” he said, helping her to her feet. “Lift your hem up with both hands, yes? Then gather it into your left hand.” He stood across from her and she mimicked him as he went through the motions. He winced when she gave him a curious look. “Don’t look at me like that, just do as I do. Tuck your thumb in against your body so that it doesn’t show. No, not like that…” He slid behind her and placed his hands on top of hers to guide her movements.

 

 _He’s so close…_ Soma thought as her heartbeat began to ring loudly in her ears.

 

“Why are you so stiff?” He asked, by her ear. “Ladies are supposed to be graceful under pressure, always.”

 

“Y-yes, Saizo-san!” Soma stammered, but she was unable to focus entirely on the lesson with his body so close to hers. She looked at Yukimura and Sasuke and the two were blushing intensely as they watched them.

 

“Um, Saizo…” Yukimura said as he raked his hand through his hair. He gestured at the wide-eyed boy at his side.

 

“Oh…” Saizo muttered as he stepped away from Soma. He quickly repositioned himself in front of her.

 

Flustered by a rush of confusing emotions, Soma put her free hand to her chest in an attempt to calm herself. As she did so, she noticed Saizo’s eyes curiously surveying her actions.

 

“Concentrate,” he whispered to her. “Now walk with small steps, one foot in front of the other. Also, tilt your head down slightly, like this.”

 

 _He makes it look so beautiful…_ Soma thought as he performed what could only be described as a dance.

 

“Sensei, you are so skilled!” Sasuke said, apparently just as impressed.

 

“Saizo’s always got a trick or two up his sleeve,” Yukimura added with a wink.

 

“Thank you, dear,” Saizo answered the young lord. He turned to Soma. “Did you understand all of that?”

 

Soma nodded, though in truth she was more concentrated on watching his lithe body than absorbing any kind of information. She attempted to mimic him but before she was finished Saizo threw his hands up in the air.

 

“What are you doing?” He demanded, clearly frustrated.

 

“Could you not just dress as a woman, Sensei?” Sasuke suggested. Yukimura seemed to share his sentiment, nodding emphatically.

 

Soma began to slump over in distress once again, when Saizo reached out and pinched her cheek. She looked up at him in surprise.

 

“You can’t go around wearing your heart on your sleeve like this,” he whispered to her so that only she could hear.

 

“I’ll be more careful,” she offered and tried to pull away from his grasp; but his eyes drew her in once again.

 

“I’m not saying I’m against it,” he offered. “Under normal circumstances, that is.”

 

 _What is he talking about?_ Soma wondered, then remembered him acknowledging her reaction to his body only moments before. She blushed. _Is he flirting with me?_

 

“Saizo, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Yukimura suddenly put forward with an uncomfortable cough, “but we should discuss our strategy for tomorrow.”

 

“I’ll be right there,” Saizo replied, his eyes unwavering from Soma’s. After a moment he turned away and followed Yukimura and Sasuke out of the room.

 

Soma let out a heavy sigh once she was alone, her shoulders collapsing toward her chest under the weight of her responsibility and the awkwardness of the evening’s lesson. Saizo was a truly fascinating man, his unwavering grace not at all lost on her, despite his odd manner. She spent the rest of the evening practicing the movements he showed her. She wasn’t sure why but she wanted desperately for him to be proud of her.

 

When morning came, she felt much more comfortable with her movements. She did not, however, feel very comfortable with her speech mannerisms; and so she decided to feign a sore throat to avoid having to speak. Saizo agreed that would be best for the time being.

 

“I’ll be acting as your manservant,” he quietly explained as he strode alongside the palanquin, “so allow me to be your voice.”

 

“Thank you, Saizo… I’m really nervous,” she admitted. She saw the townspeople gather along the streets to watch the procession and try to peek through the opening of the curtain. Saizo shielded her with his body from their prying eyes.

 

“Just follow my lead.”

 

When they reached the castle, Soma heard a retainer announce their arrival. The procession stopped and she exited the palanquin. As she did so, she saw that seemingly every retainer and servant of the estate was lined up in excitement to greet her. She felt a wave of panic wash over her but suddenly remembered to lower her head. She saw Saizo down on one knee before her, extending his hand to save her as he had that day on the battlefield.

 

“Lady Kiku,” he greeted her, with a gentleness she’d never seen from him before.

 

She silently took his hand. The late-morning sun illuminated his high cheekbones and she recognized him as even more handsome in formal attire. His effect on her was truly astounding; with him around, she felt that she could do almost anything.

He led her through the line of attendants and into the castle. Though Soma was trying her best, she tripped over her own feet just as they entered the main hall.

 

“Oopsy-daisy…” a man’s voice came from above as she was caught in a pair of strong arms. The soft smell of sandalwood touched her nose.

 

Soma looked up and saw a tall and strikingly beautiful man, his features so enviable that they were almost feminine in their fineness. Strange blond hair fell elegantly to his broad shoulders and he was dressed in the finest robes she had ever seen. She instantly began to stutter through an apology when Saizo stepped in.

 

“Please excuse us, milord Kenshin,” he said with a bow.

 

 _Uesugi Kenshin!_ Soma shrieked internally.

 

Lord Uesugi Kenshin, known as The God of War, was a famously fearsome warlord of Echigo. Saizo had explained to Soma that Kenshin and Shingen were friends and that their ability to carry on their close relationship depended on the very treaty she was there to bind. As she noted his refined appearance she wondered if perhaps the two men were not more than just close friends; it was not the first she’d heard of those of nobility being intimate with both sexes. The thought of the two strong lords embracing each other sent an involuntary shiver of arousal down her spine.

 

“Oh, she’s shaking, poor dear,” Kenshin cooed at her. “You’re so sweet. It really is a shame you have to marry my boring brother instead of me.”

 

Soma looked over to where the lord was pointing and saw a relatively handsome albeit very uninterested-looking man on the dais. He appeared to be going through the motions just as she was as he stared at the floor without even so much as a glance towards her. She silently agreed that Kiku would have much preferred the other brother.

 

“Lady Kiku has been unwell and is currently unable to speak, milord,” Saizo explained as he discreetly nudged Soma towards the dais.

 

“If she’s not a big talker,” she heard Kenshin say as they left him behind, “maybe she is well-suited for my brother, after all.”

 

During the welcoming banquet, Kenshin insisted that he sit beside Soma. He flirted with her nonchalantly and with no regard for his brother Kagekatsu’s feelings whatsoever. The latter just stared at his meal in silence, completely disinterested in the entire situation. Soma watched him, curiously.

 

“Whereabouts were you born, milady?” Kenshin asked her. He appeared simply to be making conversation but Soma knew the real intention behind his questions. Saizo sat behind her and immediately took over.

 

“Lady Kiku was born in Kai, milord,” he answered for her. Kenshin simply shrugged and laughed at his apparent forgetfulness.

 

Soma grew anxious that Lord Kagekatsu would leave the banquet hungry. She feared that if he were unhappy with her that things truly would spiral out of control for them. She discreetly tugged at Saizo’s sleeve and he leaned forward so that she could whisper to him.

 

“Pour Kagekatsu some tea, would you?”

 

“Yes, milady,” he replied. As he began to pull himself away, Kenshin beckoned to him.

 

“What did she say?” He asked him with a playful lilt to his voice.

 

“Apparently,” Saizo said, confidently, “the Lady Kiku would like some dango.”

 

 _Apparently,_ Soma thought to herself as she tried to hide her anger, _Saizo is trying to take advantage of our little situation…_

 

After dinner, Soma was shown to her quarters where she was met by two maids from Shingen’s estate who were aware of her true identity.

 

“You really did well today, Lady Kiku!” The tall one called Matsuko complimented her.

 

“I agree completely, milady!” The young one called Umeko agreed. “Now let’s get you out of that heavy thing…”

 

As the maids helped Soma remove her formal kimono, she couldn’t help but think about Kagekatsu’s misery during their meeting and dinner. Once she was finally fully changed into some lighter garments, she turned to the other women.

 

“Will you do me a favour?” She asked them. The two nodded almost in unison. Soma explained her request to them and they were completely shocked; however obliging.

 

When she was finished in the kitchens, she located Kagekatsu in the garden where he stared absently at some trees. When he noticed her approach him, he straightened immediately and his face started to grow pink. As she tried to maintain her facade, she spoke very softly.

 

“Lord Kagekatsu…” she addressed him with a smile and his face grew even redder. “I noticed that you were not eating so I made you some onigiri. Please enjoy them.”

 

“O-oh…!” He gasped, and accepted her offering. “Thank you!”

 

They sat together on a rock as he bit into a piece of onigiri. His face lit up in surprise.

 

“This is… good!” He said as he continued to blush. He reminded her a bit of Yukimura and she couldn’t help but beam at him.

 

Kenshin called over to them from a few feet away. As he approached them he asked what they were doing and Kagekatsu showed him the snack Soma had made.

 

“Oh!” Kenshin exclaimed, clearly interested. “When a lady cooks for you, it means very big things…”

 

Saizo appeared before them out of nowhere and Soma’s back whipped back straight as an arrow in her seat.

 

“Lady Kiku,” he said with a slight bow, “your wedding attire is ready. Will you please come and try it on?”

 

Before Soma could answer, she was swept away to her quarters by the impatient assassin, who muttered angrily at her under his breath. He dismissed the maids with a flick of his wrist and they nearly tripped over themselves as they fled the room in fright. When they were alone he turned to her and gave her an intense look that made her want to be sick.

 

“Are you trying to give us away,” he hissed at her through gritted teeth, “or are you just very stupid?”

 

“I’m sorry, Saizo…” Soma whimpered; but she couldn’t apologize for her caring nature. As though Saizo knew this, he quickly softened his approach.

 

“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, little lady?” He replied with a shrug and sighed. “What’s done is done, I suppose. Come let’s try this on, yes?”

 

 _Is he really going to help me dress?_ Soma wondered and her mind began to wander to places they didn’t dare.

 

Suddenly the door slid open and Sasuke strolled in, proud as anything.

 

“I knew I’d find you here,” he said with a smile before Yukimura smacked him in the back of the head as he followed after him. The child winced and howled, “What was that for?”

 

“For barging into ladies’ rooms!” The young lord scolded him in a hushed voice. Sasuke clapped a hand to his mouth as he remembered to be quiet.

 

“Please go away,” Saizo ordered without hesitation.

 

“How are things going?” Yukimura asked Soma, choosing to ignore his friend.

 

Soma suddenly faltered, the excitement of their misadventure beginning to drain her energy significantly. The young lord caught her and Saizo quickly produced a small pouch from a fold in his clothing. As Yukimura held her upright, she watched as the shinobi shook out two small capsules from their container.

 

“Put this behind your back teeth and bite down,” he directed as he handed them to her. Sasuke held his hand out for some and Saizo just silently shook his head at him.

 

“What are they?” She asked as she followed his instruction. A sudden rush of bitterness spread across her palate as she bit down on the capsule that made her involuntarily gag. She brought a hand up to her mouth to stifle her reaction; her eyes widened as she realized that she had tasted this bitterness somewhere before.

 

“It’s a restorative, right Sensei?” Sasuke answered, looking up at Saizo. “Like the kind you gave her before, using your-“

 

“Be quiet,” Saizo hissed. The child shut his mouth immediately. Yukimura started blushing and raked a telling hand through his hair.

 

“What is Sasuke trying to say?” Soma asked as she looked between them with suspicion.

 

“When Kotaro choked you unconscious,” Saizo explained, “I had to give you the same medicine mouth-to-mouth to get you to ingest it.”

 

“You mean you… _kissed_ me?” Soma deduced, narrowing her eyes at him.

 

“I don’t see what the fuss is about,” Saizo muttered as he averted his gaze.

 

Yukimura stepped forward and waved his hands in front of Soma, dismissing her accusation.

 

“No, no…” he tried to explain. “It seemed to be more of a medical procedure than anything!”

 

“So the lady can talk after all…” a stern voice came from the open door. It was Kenshin with several armed guards standing behind him who awaited his command.

 

Soma, Saizo, Sasuke, and Yukimura faced Kenshin in the main hall. Kenshin’s closest retainers surrounded them, blades drawn. The lord looked down at them with an odd combination of satisfaction and contempt.

 

“You…” he said and pointed at Soma. “Who are you, really?”

 

“My name is Soma, milord,” she began to explain as she bowed to him deeply. “I have asked to stand in for my friend Lady Kiku here as she is unwell.”

 

“It’s the truth, milord,” Yukimura offered. “I have a document here from Lord Shingen, himself, that will confirm all the details.”

 

Kenshin snapped the letter from the young lord and read it in silence. As his eyes followed Shingen’s writing on the parchment, they gradually softened and his lips upturned in a secret smile.

 

“This is ludicrous!” One of Kenshin’s retainers exclaimed. “They are spies! The treaty should be nullified and they should be executed for their insolence!”

 

“Silence, Kagetora. I’m still reading,” Kenshin hissed at the man without looking up from the letter. The retainer in question stomped his foot on the ground and grunted in displeasure.

 

“The Hojo would never treat us with such disrespect!” He shouted as the other retainers in the room began to mutter amongst themselves.

 

“Was it not you, Kagetora,” Kenshin began, having torn his eyes up from Shingen’s letter, “who was so adamantly against this union to begin with?”

 

The man called Kagetora excused himself and stormed out of the room. Kenshin waved to beckon two other retainers to retrieve him.

 

“And you…” Kenshin continued, pointing once again at Soma. “You came here willingly, knowing the kind of danger you would be in if you were found out?”

 

“Yes,” Soma said as tears formed in her eyes. “I simply wanted to help Lady Kiku, milord.”

 

Kenshin stared a little longer at Shingen’s letter before turning to his audience. Everyone in the room leaned forward as they anxiously awaited his deliberation. After a few moments, the lord walked to one of the oil lamps burning in the room and placed the letter in it. He turned back to face the crowd, most of whom were shocked by his actions.

 

“The wedding shall continue as planned,” he announced. “Let the unification of the clans proceed. May we speak of this to no one, that there may finally be peace in these lands.”

 

The entire party from Kai fell to their knees in a deep bow. Soma knew that, had it not been for Shingen and Kenshin’s odd connection that she and her companions would surely have been put to death without a second thought.

 

The next day, Soma’s party met with Kenshin to receive their instructions for the wedding procession through town that afternoon.

 

“…And when the shrine reaches the city square, the sacred couple will kiss to mark the occasion!” The lord indicated, and then received some interesting looks from his audience. “What is the matter?”

 

“Do they _have_ to kiss each other?” Yukimura protested, either disgusted or jealous; Soma could not be sure. She suspected that the young lord was possibly even more inexperienced with such things than she was.

 

“I have read that it is a European tradition to kiss in public at a wedding,” Kenshin explained as he seemingly enjoyed watching Yukimura torture himself. “Surely integrating these types of activities would put us in an even more favourable light with Lord Takeda, no? He is always talking about the Europeans being good business.”

 

Soma could not help but to look to Saizo for guidance. She expected some kind of reaction from him at Kenshin’s daring suggestion but the shinobi just stood there demurely in his formal attire as though absolutely nothing were the matter. When he noticed her looking at him, he cleared his throat.

 

“It would certainly make the wedding appear more genuine,” he contributed, dryly. Soma rolled her eyes.

 

“I’ll do it,” she resolved, irritated by her escort’s lack of conviction. Saizo’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and she smiled internally. Yukimura was beside himself with grief, practically pulling his hair out with his fidgety hands.

 

Soma could not see much through the heavy veil she was made to wear as she and Kagekatsu were paraded through the city on their portable shrine that afternoon. She could tell that they were completely surrounded by people because their vehicle pitched violently as it was forced through the enormous crowd.

As they neared the square, Soma started to get nervous. Having some, albeit negligible experience with men, she realized that she was not at all interested in kissing Kagekatsu, even if it was just for show. He was not only as boring as Kenshin warned, but was also a boorish drunk; hence why he chose to refrain from alcohol most of the time. Kagekatsu, however, had full intention to make the mock wedding as realistic as possible as he pawed at her like she was a plate of manju.

 

“Come here, darling,” he cooed. He began to lift her veil and she immediately smelled sake on his breath. “Give me those precious lips!”

 

“Milord,” she protested as she practically recoiled in horror at his changed behaviour, “you know I am not actually your bride, don’t you?”

 

“That’s just fine,” he replied, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

 

As he was about to dive his face towards hers, the shrine rocked violently. They had picked up another passenger. Soma looked back and lifted the veil so that she could see; Saizo leaned against the back pillar of the shrine, looking her over approvingly as she sat there in her wedding gown. Suddenly, a shuriken whizzed towards his head and he caught it expertly between two fingers without once breaking his gaze.

The moment Kagekatsu stood up to defend his honour, Fuma Kotaro appeared at the opposite pillar from Saizo. Chaos broke out in the city square as Hojo warriors tore through the crowd to get to the shrine and people fled in all directions.

 

“You’re just using me as a distraction,” Kotaro gasped, “aren’t you, Lord Kirigakure?”

 

Saizo gave Soma a mischievous smile.

 

“So what if I am?” He retorted.

 

He kicked him squarely in the chest causing Kotaro to fly backwards off the shrine. He then dove toward Soma and picked her up in her heavy wedding kimono. Despite her weight, he took them high up onto the rooftops as though it were a trivial task.

After some time they reached the top of a tower, far beyond the city centre. Saizo continued to hold Soma upright for a moment as she regained her bearings.

 

“What did you mean by stealing me away like that?” She asked him, clutching her chest. She felt him squeeze her a little tighter.

 

“You didn’t really want to kiss Kagekatsu, did you?” He said with a twinkle in his amber eyes. “You can thank me later.”

 

Before Soma could reply, Saizo was off again to join the fray. She smiled as she watched him leap from rooftop to rooftop over the city towards the square. She considered that, though he grumbled and complained a lot, he always seemed to be there for her when she needed him. She supposed that they could in fact be friends after all.


	4. Up In A Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uesugi Kenshin's suggestion of a cherry blossom viewing instigates some further odd behaviour from Saizo.

“Here’s to a flawless victory!” Lord Kenshin toasted everyone in the main hall.

 

“ _Victory!”_ Was exactly what Sasuke shouted when he retrieved Soma from the tower. He brought with him some of her simpler clothing and she had to change very quickly out in the open. The little boy turned away from her politely until she was done; something she wasn’t sure Saizo would have had the patience for. Saizo had, however, somehow integrated rescuing her from Kagekatsu’s unwanted advances into his plan to lure the Hojo out into the open. He could be, in fact, much more thoughtful than Soma originally thought.

 

During the banquet, the sake flowed freely and Yukimura entertained Kenshin with his obnoxious drunkenness; the side of him Soma had unfortunately seen before back at her family’s restaurant in Kyoto. This time, however, the young lord simply joked and laughed a little too loudly, thankfully avoiding political topics.

 

“Come on!” He taunted Saizo as he filled the man’s cup to overflowing, that it spilled onto his hand. He raised an eyebrow at the lord in disdain. “You’re not _-hic!-_ even close to my level yet! Let’s _-hic!-_ have some fun!”

 

“I want some!” Sasuke cried as he clasped his hands together and stared dreamily at the bottle of sake Yukimura was holding.

 

“You’re too young,” the ever-watchful Saizo reprimanded his eager student. “Have some tea and sit down.”

 

“Oh come now,” Yukimura protested when Sasuke began to whine, “a little drink won’t _-hic!-_ hurt him. A strong man always _-hic!-_ has a drink from time to _-hic!-_ time. Right, Lord Kagekatsu?”

 

Kagekatsu was sitting next to Soma and she noticed him look up from his meal, appearing slightly embarrassed by Yukimura’s words. His behaviour during the procession earlier that day was appalling at best.

 

“Lord Kagekatsu does not drink, I’m afraid,” Kenshin answered for his brother. It was clearly a lie to protect his honour and so Soma said nothing.

 

The shinobi gazed at her from where he sat next to a now visibly humbled Yukimura. He allowed himself a small smile when the young lord attempted to discreetly ask an attendant for a cup of water.

 

“Indulgence should never be a race against time,” Saizo mused, smiling wryly. He took a sip from his cup and gave an appreciative nod at its fine quality.

 

 _Why does everything he says sound like he means something else?_ She wondered, cursing the fact that she hadn’t been awake for his supposed “medical treatment” back in Kai.

 

“Saizo, you devil!” Yukimura exclaimed at his friend as he slapped him on the back. Apparently the young lord also caught on to his very subtle innuendo.

 

“Oh, I am having such a good time!” Kenshin said as he laughed heartily at their interaction. “Let’s have a cherry blossom viewing all together tomorrow!”

 

“That’s a wonderful idea, Lord Kenshin,” Soma agreed. “Shall I make us some snacks for the party?”

 

“Of course you shall,” the lord beamed. “Have you ever taken in the blossoms, my dear? It is one of the finest pleasures. Definitely not something to be rushed, as I’m sure your manservant would agree!”

 

“A long time ago…” she answered him as she remembered the details of the encounter she recounted to Kotaro, “I found a little boy crying under a cherry tree while I was playing near the woods. I gave him my dango and he was immediately made better… It is one of my most vivid memories. When I see the blossoms now I think about him all grown up and I hope that he is much happier than when we first met.”

 

“That is a lovely story…” Kenshin sighed. He fell silent, looking off dreamily into the distance.

 

Saizo abruptly stood up and, after excusing himself to the lords, left the room. Soma watched him leave and made the impulsive decision to once again follow him. As she stood to do so, Kagekatsu gave her a worried look.

 

“Are you feeling ill?” He asked in a hushed voice. She couldn’t help but smile at his show of concern.

 

“I was just going to get some fresh air, milord” she answered as she took a step. Kagekatsu went to follow her, but she stopped him and shook her head. He sat back down amongst the other men in defeat.

 

“She really is something, isn’t she, Kagekatsu?” She heard Yukimura say the moment she stepped over the threshold, and she hid a giggle behind her sleeve.

 

 _The young lord must be very drunk_ , she reasoned.

 

She found Saizo sitting nearby on the bannister that wrapped around the castle balcony. She knew that she would not have found him had he not wanted her to and once again it gave her the confidence to approach him. When she did so, he glanced back at her briefly, and then away. He seemed to her somehow bashful, if that were even possible for him.

 

“Saizo…” She sighed his name and reached out to him. She used the sake as her excuse for wanting to touch him.

 

“What do you want?” He asked, coldly.

 

“I… Well, you see,” she fumbled with her words and slowly retracted her hand, “I just wanted to thank you… for saving me back there.” She laughed awkwardly. “Again.”

 

“I was just fulfilling my mission,” he replied with a dismissive shrug.

 

Soma was nearly floored by his apathy. She felt constantly tested by his mixed messages and it made her uncomfortably unsure of herself at times. _Maybe he_ is _just doing his job,_ she wondered, disappointed.

 

“Will you be joining us at the blossom viewing tomorrow?” She asked, trying to keep the conversation going. He looked back at her and crinkled his brow.

 

“I’m not really into that sort of thing,” he said. “Plus, it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.”

 

“But there’s not a cloud in the sky…” Soma argued, peering upwards. “I was going to make dango for the party. I was going to make a bunch especially for you…”

 

“I’m not sure how much dango you’re planning to make,” he replied with a chuckle, “but it probably won’t be enough to get me out in a rainstorm again anytime soon.”

 

Soma knew that he was lying about not wanting to join the party. Whenever Saizo told a lie a very small wrinkle would appear right in the middle of his eyebrows. She wondered if he even knew about it.

 

“Well, I hope you change your mind,” she replied, feigning complete rejection just to tease him a bit. He did not react. “Also, you have a tell when you lie. Your eyebrows crease. I just thought you should know that.”

 

“What?” He said, and immediately touched his forehead.

 

She was about to turn away when she felt something cling to her waist. Sasuke was there, hanging onto her for dear life. She smiled at him and returned his embrace as Saizo silently watched them over his shoulder.

 

“I’m so tired!” He exclaimed with a huge yawn.

 

It was times like these that Soma was reminded that Sasuke was just a little boy, not unlike her own brother, but still very much a child. He was a free-spirit; just like she imagined Saizo would have been at his age. She hoped that Sasuke would never endure the hardships Saizo had that led him to become so callous.

 

“We had a busy day today, didn’t we?” She asked the boy, then turned to his master. “I’m going to put Sasuke to bed. Is that alright?”

 

“Go ahead,” Saizo replied, turning his back on her once again.

 

Thankful for the excuse from their one-sided conversation, Soma picked up Sasuke and carried him to her room. She knew that Saizo would not be far behind.

 

“I have something you can help me with,” she whispered in the child’s ear.

 

“Yes, dear,” he sighed as he nestled his face into her shoulder.

 

Sasuke did not last ten minutes on Soma’s bedding before passing out completely. She didn’t see the harm in letting him sleep there, so she continued with her work in silence until she saw a shadow moving around outside. She got up to investigate and when she opened the door Saizo was there.

 

“Oh hello,” Soma began, secretly unsurprised by his presence, “is there anything the matter, Saizo-san?”

 

“It’s unwise to leave a woman and child alone when there are drunk men wandering around,” he explained. As he spoke, a loud roar of laughter boomed from the main hall. “You can’t begin to know the decadence that some people will allow themselves.”

 

Soma couldn’t help but smile at this odd statement, and it made him shift his weight between his feet. _He’s really going out of his way, isn’t he?_ She decided to tease him some more.

 

“Well, since you’re watching us anyway,” she began, motioning towards her room, “you should just come in. Sasuke is still here if you’re worried about appearances…”

 

“I wasn’t watching you, I was standing watch,” Saizo muttered as he followed her inside. He cocked his head to the side when he saw a row of kerchiefs on the floor, tied with string so that they formed a rounded bunch at the top with a skirt underneath. “Those are strange looking dolls…”

 

“They’re not dolls,” Soma explained as she bent down to gather them, “they’re rain ghosts. You hang them along the eaves and pray that they keep the rain away.”

 

“You don’t really believe in that, do you?” Saizo scoffed as he grabbed one from her and analyzed it. She had even drawn little faces on them. “It must be some weird thing people from the capital do.”

 

“It’s a tradition in the capital, yes” she replied, beaming at him. “Especially before festivals.”

 

She went outside to hang her charms and again he followed along behind her. In the time it took for her to reach the prominent eaves of the castle that were higher than she was used to, he had managed to obtain and hang every one of the charms except for the one she was holding.

 

“Hang them like this?” He asked, pointing at his handiwork. Soma lowered herself from the bannister and laughed.

 

“Exactly like that,” she said and handed him the last one. He hung it up with the others and gazed at them thoughtfully with his hands on his hips.

 

“Interesting…”

 

Suddenly, just as Saizo predicted, a drunken Yukimura fumbled towards them as he sang some silly song Soma didn’t recognize. Saizo shooed her into her room and shut the door. She sank to the floor and pressed her ear to the paper so that she could hear what they were saying.

 

“Saizo!” The young lord whispered loudly, “Is Soma asleep? I _-hic-_ was just going to stand watch at her door but _-hic-_ I guess you’re too quick for me.”

 

“You did ask me to look after her for you, dear,” Saizo replied with a hint of mischief in his hushed voice. “You know what they say; _if you want something done right, do it yourself_.”

 

Soma suspected that Saizo’s statement was another one of his little jokes and she thought for a long time about what he may have really meant.

 

The next day, Soma awoke to the unfortunate sound of heavy rain. _Well, there goes our cherry blossom viewing, I suppose,_ she thought to herself. It was very unlikely that anyone would still want to go out.

Not one to be put off by the weather, Lord Kenshin decided that they would hold a banquet inside instead. Soma’s dango were stacked high on a large table in the centre of the main hall and everyone looked over them hungrily.

Kagekatsu was the first to indulge in the sweets. Smiling happily, he shoved one after the other into his mouth like a squirrel. Kenshin gaped at him comically.

 

“Let’s get the court artist in here to capture this rare moment!” He mused aloud.

 

“How do you mean, milord?” Yukimura asked him, though he knew how devastatingly good Soma’s cooking was.

 

“Kagekatsu never has a smile on his face,” the lord explained, “these must be some exceptional dango!”

 

Everyone enjoyed themselves as they ate Soma’s snacks; everyone except for Saizo, who was nowhere to be seen. Soma leaned in close to Sasuke, who sat beside her.

 

“Where is Saizo?” She whispered at him.

 

“Oh, you won’t be seeing him around today,” the child replied with a mouth full of food. No one seemed to mind as they were too busy indulging themselves. “It’s raining, remember? He’ll be hiding somewhere, as usual.”

 

“Right…” Soma said, and quickly excused herself.

 

She grabbed some dango from the kitchen and, under the cover of an umbrella, went outside to look for Saizo. She understood that this was a fool’s errand but she eventually came upon a dazzling cherry blossom tree in Kenshin’s garden that just happened to be suspiciously populated with crows.

 

“So you did decide to take in the blossoms, after all,” she called up at the tree when she finally spotted a shock of silver hair in among a cluster of flowers.

 

“Hmm…” he said, glancing down at her. His eyes were red and the rain drops poured down his face like tears. He wiped them away absently with his fingers.

 

“You should come inside and get on some dry clothes,” she fretted. “You know you will just get sick out here like this… I’m coming up there.” She assessed her footing at the base of the tree.

 

“Don’t,” Saizo said, and swung his legs over the side of his branch. “I’m coming down.”

 

He stood before her, tall and lean, his amber eyes glowing with fever as rain trickled over his entire body. Soma didn’t want to lecture him but did offer to share her umbrella, which he promptly refused.

 

“I have climbed trees before, you know,” she said with a smirk.

 

“I know. You like these trees, too, huh?”

 

“Y-yes…” She replied, surprised by his interest. “They remind me of the happy times when I was a child.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why do you like them, Saizo?”

 

Saizo averted his gaze and wiped his face again.

 

“I knew someone long ago who loved them, too,” he answered, his voice stressed at the memory. “He was a bit like Yukimura, really… A little too passionate, a little too involved… But that’s what made him special, too, I suppose. He insisted on going to see them every single year. I like cherry blossoms because they return every year… so that I can never forget him.”

 

“Please come inside, Saizo-san…” Soma pleaded, tears forming in her eyes as she handed him a bundle of dango. He accepted it with a small smile.

 

“I can’t,” he said, and tucked her gift inside a fold of his wet clothing. “I’ve been summoned to Iga village.”

 

“When will you be back?” She asked, her hand still reaching for him. She withdrew it reluctantly and clutched it to her chest. Her heart was racing.

 

“Later,” he replied as he put on his fox mask.

 

Soma had no idea what he meant by that but reasoned that it was likely that neither did he. As she watched him bolt away into the distance she wondered if she would ever see him again. She felt helpless knowing that he would be out there alone and she would be unable to help him this time.

 

“You really care about him, don’t you?” Kiyohiro asked her as he appeared at her side.

 

“Yes,” she replied, wiping her own tears away.

 

“I’ve thought very hard about whether or not I should reveal to you any more details about Kirigakure Saizo without his permission…” He hesitated, then shook his head. “But I can see that not doing so may cause more harm than good.”

 

“Please…” Soma said, turning to face him. “Please tell me… why he’s so sad.”

 

“Over ten years ago, Iga village was under siege for the second time by the Oda clan,” he explained, though it visibly pained him to recall. “We managed to push them back and build ourselves a stronghold. This worked for a while… until someone let the Oda in. Many women and children were killed. The man responsible was Saizo’s best friend. The village elders wanted to make an example…”

 

“And they made Saizo kill him…” Soma sighed, already knowing where Kiyohiro’s story was leading.

 

“Betraying your clan comes with a heavy fine, you know. The only thing is that he was under pressure to betray us. They had captured his lover and were holding her hostage, but we didn’t know that until it was too late. We would have tried to help him, I’m sure…”

 

“And Saizo blames himself…”

 

“Yes, he does,” Kiyohiro said, and looked off thoughtfully in the direction Saizo went.

 

Soma’s head swam with all of the information the man just revealed to her. She knew now for certain that Saizo did not care about his own life because he had ended the life of someone dear to him, and punished himself year after year by forcing himself to remember the event over and over again to the point of illness. His friend’s sword burned on his back like a brand, and one day it would finally witness his own death. Perhaps only then would Saizo be satisfied.

Suddenly she touched her hand to her temple and she stumbled, dropping her umbrella. Kiyohiro caught her before she fell to the ground, and carried her carefully back into the castle.

 

She awoke sometime later in her bedding, burning with fever. Yukimura and Sasuke knelt beside her, the latter squeezing her hand so tightly with his own that she thought it might fall off. The two straightened at her wakefulness, and she wondered how long they had been there with her that they themselves had apparently also dozed off for a time.

 

“You have a really bad fever, Soma…” Sasuke explained. “You need lots of rest right now, okay?”

 

The fever continued to assail her body well into the evening. Despite this, the young lord and the shinobi’s apprentice did not leave her side except to relieve themselves. She heard them debate sporadically about whether or not it was best for them to leave her in peace for a time, and in the end they finally did.

No sooner had they gone before a knock came at the door and Soma spun again into wakefulness. Kagekatsu was there, holding a tray. His cheeks were pink as though he had been drinking again.

 

“I heard sweet sake was good for a cold,” he said as he entered the room and closed the door behind him.

 

“I didn’t think you drank, milord…” Soma reminded him as she propped herself up in bed. Her movements felt slow and clumsy.

 

Kagekatsu knelt beside her and set the tray down on the floor. He poured some of the sake into a cup and offered it to her. She accepted it, gratefully, and watched for a moment as spirals of steam rose upward to the ceiling.

 

“Thank you, Lord Kagekatsu,” she said, and drank the liquid. The warmth poured down her throat and she felt comforted almost instantly.

 

“Soma, you must tell me…” Kagekatsu said suddenly as he grabbed her by the shoulders. “Who was that man you were speaking to in the garden? What does he mean to you?”

 

“What are you doing, milord?” She demanded as she unsuccessfully tried to wrestle away from him.

 

The more she tried to repel herself from his advances, the more he persisted, grabbing at her until her robes fell open and exposed her breasts. Her illness made her feel weak, like she was stuck in thick mud. She knew that there was nothing she could possibly do but scream, but hesitated, wondering what would happen if she did. Causing Kagekatsu such embarrassment in his own home would not be the best way to keep up appearances to those who were not in the know her true identity.

She closed her eyes and planned to simply endure whatever the lord did to her but she soon felt the weight of the man’s body leave her. She opened her eyes and saw Saizo looming above her as he held Kagekatsu off the ground by the front of his kimono. The latter took a few drunken swings before he gave up and hung there with his limbs dangling about him like he was a rag doll.

 

“Someone’s had a bit too much, it seems,” Saizo said with a record-blank expression.

 

“It’s you!” Kagekatsu hissed, “You’re the one who means to steal her away from me!”

 

Saizo pulled the man closer and whispered something into his ear. The lord was suddenly fast asleep, and even snoring. The assassin heaved a sigh as he unceremoniously threw the man out into the hall and closed the door so that he and Soma were alone. He went to her side and gently helped her redress.

 

“Did he do anything to you?” He asked with a bitter twinge to his voice that told her he’d consider killing the man if the answer was yes.

 

“No,” Soma replied, stealing his hand into hers as it went to leave her clothing. He did not pull away.

 

“I’m going to ask Sasuke to sleep with you from now on,” he muttered. He was not so much telling her as he appeared to be setting a task for himself.

 

 _I thought he had been summoned by his village…_ Soma thought.

 

“Saizo,” a low voice came from outside the patio door. It was Kiyohiro. “I need to speak with you.”

 

“Leave us,” Saizo ordered as he glared at the door. The shadow moved reluctantly away.

 

“Can you… just speak to him that way?” Soma asked, knowing that his oath to his clan was sealed in blood.

 

“They know where my loyalties lie,” he sighed as he took a seat cross-legged beside her. “Don’t worry about that now. Rest.”

 

“Why did you come back?” She asked, the sake the lord brought her making her brave. She entwined the fingers of his gloved hand with hers.

 

“I don’t know,” he said, simply.

 

Soma felt the hot sting of tears in her eyes but did not want him to see, so she pulled the blanket partially up her face. Saizo reached two fingers over the edge of the blanket and gently pulled it back again.

 

“You can’t hide tears that have already been seen,” he said. For the first time, he appeared to be genuinely smiling.

 

“I’m sorry…” Soma said, caught off guard by his odd expression. He just shook his head.

 

“I know that you don’t want me to go,” he said, his face suddenly returning to its normal austerity.

 

“No…” Soma admitted, drawn once again into his peculiar, red-amber eyes. “I don’t ever want you to leave my side, Saizo. I want us to see the blossoms, together… every year, from now on.”

 

“I see,” he said, and squeezed her hand. “I won’t leave until you’re asleep. Is that fair?”

 

“You don’t have to be alone anymore… Saizo…” she murmured as he leaned in close to her. She felt her eyes grow heavy, and his breath on her neck as she struggled hard to stay awake.

 

“Goodnight, little lady…” his voice echoed through her mind as she dozed off; and she knew he’d used his tricks on her yet again.


	5. Cold Shoulders, Warm Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attack on Kasugayama Castle thwarts an emboldened Yukimura's attempt to reveal his true feelings, while Saizo is forced to make a deadly decision about his relationship with Soma.

The next morning Soma awoke to find Sasuke sleeping soundly in the bed beside her. Saizo had made good on his resolution. She shivered with an odd chill that wasn’t in the air the night before and hoped that her fever had finally subsided.

She rose quietly so as not to wake her bedmate and tiptoed to the door that led to the hallway. She opened it a crack and, to her astonishment, Kagekatsu was still lying there, fast asleep. The sound of footsteps nearby prompted her to shut the door and back away.

 

“Oh, Lord Kagekatsu!” One of the maids exclaimed, though her voice indicated that this wasn’t the first time he’d been found in that state. It took two attendants to get the man to his feet before they evacuated the hallway and Soma could exhale.

 

“Soma…” Sasuke yawned as he awoke. “How did I get in here? I’m sorry… I must have sleep walked or something…” He flung his arms around himself. “It’s cold in here!”

 

“I think it’s snowing,” Soma said as she tossed him another blanket. He quickly wrapped it around himself.

 

“No way!” He exclaimed and bounded for the patio door. He opened it with a loud crack and to their astonishment Yukimura stood there with his fist elevated as though he was just about to knock. Sure enough, there was snow falling in big globs that slowly accumulated all along the patio.

 

“Hey, slow down,” Yukimura cautioned the boy. “What’s gotten into you?”

 

“I love snow!” Sasuke said as he ran outside and started collecting snow off of anywhere he could get it. “Can we have a snowball fight when there’s enough?”

 

“I suppose we could…” the young lord replied with a smile. “But we wouldn’t stand a chance against Saizo haha!”

 

“You’re right!” Sasuke’s eyes went wide and he stuck his hand in the air. “I say he’s on my team!”

 

“No fair!” Yukimura said, and tousled the boy’s hair.

 

“Where is Saizo?” Soma asked, grounding the mood somewhat. Yukimura cleared his throat and shooed Sasuke aside so that he could enter her room.

 

“He’s on another mission for Iga village,” he confirmed. “I’ve just come to tell you that Lady Kiku is well again and will be joining us here tomorrow. You can finally go home!”

 

“Oh, so soon?” Soma murmured, disappointed that the night before was not quite the goodbye she was hoping for.

 

Yukimura prompted her to sit down with him and she did. He smiled at her kindly, his face not as bashful as it once was when he would look at her weeks ago. He was her age, and she wondered if he looked at life with any of the same uncertainty and desperation that she often did. He seemed simpler than that, however; not incapable of introspection but not lost in it like Saizo seemed to be. Soma wondered if perhaps his status might have something to do with that. Yukimura was, however, the most grounded of the lords she’d met, followed closely by Takeda Shingen. She’d grown to love them both dearly, as well as Sasuke and his mysterious master.

 

“I can speak for everyone when I say that you will be greatly missed, Soma,” Yukimura offered. She expected him to rake his hand through his hair in embarrassment at his own words but he did not. “Sasuke has been happier with you around… and, believe it or not, Saizo, as well. You’ve really spoiled us rotten, you know.”

 

“Really?” She asked, suddenly feeling bashful herself. She was sure that her presence was more of a bother than anything else but the young lord remained steadfast.

 

“Really,” he said, and leaned towards her as though he intended to kiss her.

 

She might have allowed him but for a quick knock at the door. They looked at each other sheepishly before it slid open and an anxious retainer begged them to follow him to the main hall.

 

“Grave news has come to us from Kai,” Kenshin reported sombrely when they entered the room. “Takeda Shingen has taken ill and is bedridden.”

 

“What is this?” Kagetora, the same man who protested the wedding, shouted. “Another trick? The Hojo would never treat us with such disrespect!”

 

The man’s speech was nearly the same as before. Soma wasn’t sure how Shingen taking ill had anything to do with trickery, let alone how it was an appropriate argument for their accusation. She however decided to keep her mouth shut as Saizo wasn’t there to rescue her this time. That is, until she noticed someone familiar in the crowd who was staring at her intently.

 

“Kagetora, do you forget that we were just attacked by the Hojo?” Kenshin reminded his vassal in an irritated tone. His ties to Shingen would have made the news of his illness that much more unsettling than he was letting on.

 

“I am certain that Takeda Shingen’s illness is a ploy,” Kagetora maintained, taking a brazen step forward towards Kenshin, who squared his shoulders defensively, “to distract us from his intended invasion! We should seek help from the Hojo immediately to put this nonsense to an end!”

 

“Of course it’s a trick,” said the man in the crowd that Soma recognized. “Just like that fake bride over there.”

 

“Kotaro!” She shouted impulsively, unable to control herself any longer.

 

“Fake bride?” Someone echoed, and soon many were muttering amongst themselves in collusion against them. Many of those present were not aware of Soma’s status as decoy for reasons of security and the entire party from Kai was suddenly once again under scrutiny. 

 

Far up on a hill outside of Kasugayama, Saizo lifted his fox mask to watch tendrils of smoke rise like ghosts from the castle down below as Hojo warriors descended upon it. Snow fell gently around him, accumulating on his hair and shoulders.

Kiyohiro handed him his orders from the village elders and stood patiently nearby, awaiting his word. Saizo scoffed at the letter.

 

“They’re doing this to punish me,” he said. Kiyohiro shook his head. “Then why? Haven’t they gotten enough out of me over the years?”

 

“Your Kiku stand-in has been discovered and needs to be eliminated before this thing really gets out of hand,” Kiyohiro explained, his voice shaking audibly. He knew as well as Saizo did how unfair the decision was. “The Takeda clan will fall if Shingen dies. Uesugi will have no choice but to align with the Hojo to ensure their own survival. It will be out of Kenshin’s hands- you know this as well as I do.”

 

“Yes, but why can’t she just be sent home?” He asked, though he knew that this order was non-negotiable; he was just wasting time. Every moment he wasn’t hunting her she was still alive.

 

“It’s too late for that now,” Kiyohiro replied quietly. He would be the one to dispatch of Saizo if he disappointed the clan again, and he didn’t want to have to do that. “I’ll be watching.”

 

“I would expect nothing less of you, old friend.”

 

At Kasugayama, Yukimura pulled Soma close to him as vassals began fighting each other, divided between Takeda and Hojo. Realizing that those guarding them were ultimately too busy bickering with each other to even notice them, he took her hand and led her back to her room. Sasuke, Kenshin, and Kagekatsu followed behind them. When they reached her room, Kenshin gave her a pitying look.

 

“You must leave at once, my dear,” he said, taking her small hands in his. “I fear that things are no longer safe for you.”

 

“I agree, Soma,” Yukimura said. “We have to get you out of here now.”

 

The castle was in complete chaos with the sounds of shouting, steel against steel, and something much more dangerous, as well.

 

“My word!” Kenshin commented when a loud crack caused him to cover his ears. “They are certainly getting rowdy, aren’t they?”

 

“That’s gunpowder, milord!” Yukimura said, his pallor suddenly greying. Kenshin seemed unfazed other than being slightly annoyed by the racket.

 

“Oh, I suppose it is…” He said with a shrug.

 

A distressed retainer suddenly appeared in the doorway.

 

“Milord!” He addressed Kenshin and the lord gestured impatiently for the man to hurry his speech. “T-the Hojo are attacking! We’re surrounded! They are already starting to loosen fire arrows upon us!”

 

“Hmph…” the lord grunted as though it were no worse news than their blossom viewing being canceled due to rain. “This place can withstand much worse than that,” he muttered as he turned to Yukimura and Sasuke. “You two, take the young lady and get out of here at once.”

 

Kagekatsu led them to a little-known back exit; through the kitchens and out a shipping area where the castle received large deliveries of goods. Just as they passed an open doorway, Soma tripped on something and her legs gave way beneath her. Kotaro loomed over her and laughed grimly.

 

“The fake bride is escaping!” He shouted to some unseen persons behind him.

 

“Haven’t you said enough for one day?” Kagekatsu’s angry voice bellowed. He had his sword drawn as he dove towards Kotaro, who was apparently not expecting his speed. Kotaro laughed as he nearly faltered, countering the attack.

“The honour is all mine, _milord_!”

 

“Yukimura!” Kagekatsu shouted as he grappled with his opponent. “Get Soma and the child out of here now!”

 

Without a word, the young lord helped Soma to her feet and they continued quickly along their escape route as they tried to ignore the shouts and grunts of the heated battle they were leaving behind them.

They ran as fast as they could, down dark corridors that seemingly led them upward, until they saw the light in the distance that indicated that they were reaching the outdoors. They halted suddenly upon realizing that they were somehow inside one of the castle watchtowers. As they turned to go back, a masked figure appeared in front of them.

 

“Saizo!” Yukimura exclaimed, recognizing who it was instantly. “Am I ever glad to see you! The castle is under attack and…”

 

Ignoring the young lord, Saizo had his eyes dead set on Soma as he approached her with deliberate, languid steps. Yukimura promptly blocked his path and notched his sword out of its scabbard so that the man knew he was not playing around.

 

“Hold on, my friend,” he said with a distinct tone of authority Soma had never heard from him before. “Don’t tell me that your orders are to kill Soma…”

 

“Is this how it’s going to end, Yukimura?” Saizo asked coldly, his deadly focus unwavering.

 

Soma crumpled to the floor, trembling with fear. She knew that Saizo intended to finally claim her life as he’d hinted at weeks ago when they first met. She did not want to die, least of all by his hand. She had come to consider him her friend, and even believed that she desired more.

 

The assassin brought down his sword and Yukimura quickly countered it, their steel ringing loudly as it clashed together in mid-air.

 

“What are you doing, Saizo?” He demanded, his voice shaking.

 

Saizo punched him square in the stomach, leaving the young lord reeling in agony and retching with what little strength was left to him.

 

“You’re as trusting as ever, Yukimura…” He muttered.

 

“Sensei!” Sasuke cried as he took Yukimura’s place as Soma’s shield. “Stop this! Don’t take her from me!”

 

Tears streamed down the little boy’s face as he met his master head-on, brandishing a tanto that would have shaken free out of fear from any other child’s hand.

Saizo slapped him in the face, and Sasuke flew against a wall. He recovered quickly but remained on the ground, holding his little face with a look of absolute terror. Soma considered grabbing the tanto that landed near her but was completely paralyzed from Saizo’s gaze. She could only open her mouth slightly, and a quiet voice came out that was not her own.

 

“Please… I want to live…”

 

The man froze in place. The eyes behind the fox mask softened somewhat as he quietly calculated his next move. They searched hers for what seemed like forever, as though he thought that he could find the solution to his conflict in the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

 

“You truly are the Lord Assassin,” Fuma Kotaro said as he approached them, brandishing his token kusari-gama. “To kill one you have so steadfastly protected is not a light-hearted task.”

 

“Damn you,” Saizo cursed, maintaining his gaze on Soma. It was uncertain to whom exactly he was speaking.

 

 _If Kotaro managed to get here, then that means…_ _Oh no,_ Soma thought, thinking back to Kagekatsu’s heroics that allowed for them to escape to this point.

 

“This woman has changed you, Kirigakure Saizo,” Kotaro said with a smirk. “I suppose you need me to kill her for you, hmm? It would be an honour to do your dirty work…”

 

Soma closed her eyes as she prepared to accept her death. She heard the rattle of Kotaro’s chain as he flung the scythe end towards her, and then a loud clash of steel. She felt nothing but she knew somehow that she was still alive.

She opened her eyes and saw Saizo standing with his back to her as he parried Kotaro’s attack with both of his ninjato drawn. He was using both his and his friend’s sword to defend Soma from the kusari-gama.

 

“Why are you grinning like that?” Kotaro asked him, a distinguishable look of shock passing over his face for just a moment before he forced himself back with enough force to stagger his opponent forward.

 

Soma soon found herself in Kotaro’s sights again and he smirked at her before launching his weapon once more. Before she could even muster a cry Saizo again repelled the chain, and his fox mask fell from his face to the floor in pieces. In a flash, he flurried towards Kotaro and sent both of his blades directly through his stomach.

Kotaro slumped to the ground, blood gushing from his wounds and mouth. It spilled from his lips as he laughed gruesomely, staring up at Saizo with desperate eyes. The latter showed no reaction to him, whatever. Soon, the laughter stopped and an eerie silence fell over them.

 

A strong wind torrented snow through the corridor. Kiyohiro appeared, as well as several other men also from Iga village, there to support Kiyohiro should Saizo defect.

Saizo did not seem at all affected by their arrival. He withdrew his ninjato from Kotaro’s body and shook the blood off of them and onto the floor with one deft flick of the wrist. He was covered in blood, too, though none of it appeared to be his own.

 

“You sure took your time,” he remarked, absently.

 

Kiyohiro was visibly shaken by his persistent coolness.

 

“I simply allowed you the time I assumed the mission required,” he replied, and shot Soma a remorseful look.

 

“I was interrupted,” Saizo said as he looked down at Kotaro’s body. “You should probably just do away with me now, though. It shouldn’t be too difficult with all the help you brought along with you.”

 

The other shinobi shuffled their feet, somewhat embarrassed by his words. It was clear to Soma that they did not want to have to fight Saizo.

 

“Shall I assume, then, that you refuse your mission?” Kiyohiro asked.

 

“You could say that.”

 

Saizo suddenly beamed, ear to ear, his eyes shining with a renewed passion. Kiyohiro’s face went pale. The Lord Assassin stood at the ready for whatever fate had in store for him, his shoulders pridefully squared.

 

 _What is he doing…?_ Soma wondered, at the same time honoured and mortified that Saizo would sooner denounce his own village than murder her.

 

“You’ll have to get through me if you want to hurt these two!” Yukimura shouted.

 

“Yeah!” Sasuke joined in.

 

The two placed themselves between the men and their friend, their weapons drawn. Saizo looked at them and furrowed his brows. He then looked back at Soma who was sitting motionless on the floor as the pool of Kotaro’s blood edged closer to her. Her eyes pleaded with him to just get whatever was going to happen over with. Once again, he silently calculated his odds.

 

“I will make no exception for you, Lord Yukimura, if you choose to get in the way,” Kiyohiro warned. “That counts for you, as well, little one.”

 

“We would have it no other way,” the young lord replied with a smile. “Saizo… I can’t wait to reclaim this favour!”

 

With a chuckle, Saizo scooped Soma effortlessly up into his arms and leapt over the balcony of the watchtower. Soma closed her eyes and clung to him tightly, too afraid to scream as they plummeted towards the forest floor below.

When she opened her eyes again, Saizo was standing safely in a snowbank and he gently lowered her to her own feet. Though they fell a great distance, he seemed completely unaffected by their landing. He grabbed her hand and urged her to run with him. She did, but only for a while before she slowed their pace to a halt.

 

“I will carry you on my back if you are tired,” Saizo offered.

 

“It’s not that…” she said, though she was winded, especially from running in the cold. She saw a look of confusion pass over his face.

 

“What is it, then?”

 

“Saizo…” she began, still holding onto his hand. “You have to kill me. If you don’t…”

 

“What are you talking about?” He asked, shaking his head in frustration. “We need to run, now!”

 

“You mean so much to me…” She revealed as a single tear etched down her cheek that was bright pink with cold. “I can’t let you give up your life for me. I couldn’t bear it.”

 

Saizo stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded, before he pulled her tightly against him. She buried her face in his chest and he brought his mouth to her ear.

 

“I don’t want to run if you’re not going to come with me, Soma,” he whispered softly, his breath warm against her face. “I already regret so much in this life. If we can be like this even for one moment… perhaps I can die a happy man.”

 

Soma looked up as he reluctantly pulled himself away. She was not surprised to see that they were already surrounded by Kiyohiro and the other shinobi from Iga. She imagined that they had simply given Yukimura and Sasuke the slip, and hoped that the two had not also fallen victim to the icy grip of death for her sake.

 

“You can’t run forever, Saizo,” Kiyohiro said, clearly unamused. The two men were no longer friends, if they ever really were.

 

“I am already through running,” Saizo hissed as he pulled Soma behind him. He drew both of his ninjato and readied himself for combat.

 

Kiyohiro did not waste any time and rushed towards him with his own weapons. The two men fought, their ability nearly matched, leaping over each other as they parried each other’s blows like acrobats locked in a lightening-fast dance that was dizzying to watch.

No sooner had Soma felt a touch at her elbow than the shinobi who snuck up behind her was lanced in the leg with one of Saizo’s swords. The man doubled over with a piercing cry that echoed loudly through the cold air.

 

“The next to touch her will die!” He proclaimed as he once again faced his opponent.

 

“What will you do, Saizo, now that you are down to one blade?” Kiyohiro taunted. In the background, the man who was speared through the leg screamed in agony as one of the others struggled to wrench the ninjato from it.

 

“I have done much worse with much less,” Saizo replied. Kiyohiro nodded, knowing this was the truth.

 

Suddenly, a single crow issued a sobering cry as it circled above them. No one moved at all to strike as they all peered up at the sky. The bird flew down to them and landed on one of the shinobi’s outstretched hands. The man quickly ran up to Kiyohiro and whispered something into his ear. Whatever was said made the man drop his weapons immediately and submit himself to his knees in front of Saizo.

 

“Lady Kiku has just arrived at Kasugayama with an army,” he said.

 

“I thought Lord Kenshin had ordered a messenger to warn Lady Kiku to turn back,” Soma tested them as she rushed to Saizo’s side.

 

“Lady Kiku learned that you were in danger and insisted on coming to save you, Soma,” Kiyohiro revealed with a small smile. “It seems that being a daughter of war has made her strong after all.”

 

“So what now?” Saizo asked, reluctantly sheathing his remaining weapon.

 

“The Hojo have been defeated,” Kiyohiro said, and he bowed to them deeply. “The assassination order has been rescinded. You have the fight, Saizo.”

 

“You do have a heart, after all,” Saizo said as he reached out to help the man to his feet.

 

“So do you,” Kiyohiro replied, and accepted the man’s gesture with a smile. He promptly turned to Soma and bowed to her. “Please forgive me, miss.”

 

Soma could see that the man was truly sorry. She embraced him, and felt his body stiffen at her touch for a moment before submitting.

 

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for treating us fairly, despite everything.”

 

“Lord Hanzo…” One of Kiyohiro’s companions interrupted. “It’s time to go.”

 

“Hanzo?” Soma said. Pulling away from him, she gave him a strange look.

 

“Oh yes,” he replied with an embarrassed laugh. “Kiyohiro is an alias. Those in the village know me as Hattori Hanzo.”

 

He bowed to her again and casually turned on his heel to leave, as though revealing his true identity to her was but a trivial thing. She blinked, and he and his men were suddenly gone. Saizo retrieved his other sword from where it stuck out of the snowy ground and wiped it off on his hakama. Soma watched him turn the blade in the light, seemingly checking it for damage before returning it to its sheath.

 

The two walked together back to Kasugayama castle in silence, as was Saizo’s usual method of dialogue. Soma was simply attempting to process all that had occurred that day and was lost in thought. Once in a while, she caught him looking at her curiously, but eventually realized that it was the first time she’d ever really been silent around him.

When they arrived, they received a warm welcome from Yukimura, who attempted to hug both of them at once with one burly arm wrapped tightly around each of them. Saizo, in a display of reciprocation, patted his friend’s shoulder awkwardly before snaking out of his embrace. Soma was not so fortunate as she found herself suddenly crushed in both of the man’s arms until she felt she would faint from lack of air.

 

“Sensei, you are a bad man!” Sasuke’s wobbly voice came from nearby as he chastised his master between sniffles. Soma felt his little arms fight for dominance over Yukimura’s around her body.

 

“Sorry…” Saizo muttered, tousling the boy’s hair with his gloved hand. “You were very brave, little one.”

 

“We are all so thankful to see you both again!” Kenshin proclaimed happily as he appeared behind the young lord. Yukimura released Soma from his arms, and immediately raked his hand through his hair in his classic tell.

 

“Lord Kenshin,” he began with a bow, “I know that Lord Shingen would have wanted to be here. I am just a spear that he extends to places he cannot reach himself, but please allow me to thank you on his behalf for all that you have done for us.”

 

As the lords spoke, Soma looked over Kenshin’s shoulder and saw Kagekatsu and Kiku embracing. The lord had thankfully survived his squabble with Kotaro and was apparently getting along well with the woman who was supposed to be his wife. The two spotted her and waved, with big smiles stretched across their faces.

 

“Well, I suppose our work here is done…” Yukimura said with a laugh. “I’m going to gather our people and begin to prepare our leave.”

 

Soma watched Yukimura walk off towards the castle after bowing again to Lord Kenshin. The latter tilted his head to the side and approached her, smiling wryly.

 

“I’m just glad that the two of you have managed to sort things out,” he said, gesturing towards Saizo, who stood a little behind her.

 

“What do you mean, milord?” She asked, confused. Kenshin leaned in towards her and lowered his voice.

 

“He is your lover, is he not?”

 

“What?” Soma exclaimed, and whipped her head around to look at Saizo. He just stared at her silently, though she thought she saw him smirk for a moment before replacing his emotionless mask. Kenshin’s long fingers began to lightly caress her cheek as he pulled her attention back to him.

 

“Well, that’s what he told me…” He said softly, his violet eyes heavy-lidded as he brought his face closer to hers. “But if that isn’t the case, perhaps you will choose to stay here, Soma. I can take very, _very_ good care of you…”

 

“Oh, milord…” She said, shocked at Kenshin’s brazen invitation. “I am honoured, but Saizo has been appointed to ensure my safe return to Kyoto. Isn’t that right, Saizo?”

 

“That’s right,” the shinobi said with a chuckle.

 

Kenshin immediately retracted his touch and slipped his graceful hand up his sleeve as though it had never left the safety of the garment to begin with. He smiled at the two of them and bowed curtly.

 

“Do come back for a visit, my dear!” He called to her over his shoulder as he walked off towards the castle.


	6. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saizo fulfills more than just his initial promise when he returns Soma to her home in Kyoto.

“What did you mean by telling Lord Kenshin that we’re lovers?” Soma asked Saizo as they walked together along the side of the main road that led into the capital.

 

Their path brought them to the peak of a hill, and the two stopped for a rest and to take in the scenery of the busy town down below.

 

“We’re almost there,” he said, blatantly ignoring her question. “Is it always this chaotic?”

 

“You know it is,” she said, giving him an impatient look. “Come on, Saizo…”

 

Saizo turned to her slowly and saw her large eyes reflecting his own in their depths. He was reluctant to provide an answer to her question. Why she’d only just decided to ask was beyond him, anyway. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before it finally let out an exasperated sigh.

 

“That creature would go to bed with Yukimura if the opportunity arose,” he said, finally. “A young woman of your cast has but her honour in this harsh world, no?”

 

The fact that their friend had caught the wandering eyes of the fiercely liberated Uesugi Kenshin more than a few times over the course of their stay amused him greatly; mostly due to the fact that Yukimura was, as always, hopelessly oblivious. Kenshin could have easily lured him into his bedroom at any time had he not been so fixated on Soma. Saizo reminded himself to tease the young lord about that later, the running joke being that his chastity seemed to have chosen him, and not the other way around.

 

“Could it be possible, Saizo,” Soma said with a sly grin, “that you are more concerned about my honour than I am?”

 

Truthfully, he had wanted to be her lover for some time, but the two of them were truly and unabashedly ill-fated. She was a commoner; simple like Yukimura, and just as virginal. He was a hired killer, well-versed in the ways of pleasure and pain. Despite this, she brought him great comfort that was not there in her absence.

Due to his fickle temperament, he thought it unlikely that she would ever act on her obvious pining for him. He realized that if anything were to come of their awkward yet persistent flirtation, he would have to be the one to initiate it. If he did, he might be able to satisfy her body, but did not know how to satisfy her otherwise. That’s why he tried to push her into Yukimura’s arms instead. The young lord was a noble- a gentleman at that; and therefore much more capable of meeting her more practical needs. He was also his most trusted friend and the only person who knew the shinobi’s strange secret: that he was the true author of the popular Lover’s Guide.

Using his cumulative experiences as a seducer of both men and women, he had created an educational tool to wet the appetites and furnish ideas to the inexperienced on how to perform in the bedroom. The knowledge was too valuable not to share. In fact, he gave Yukimura the first copy in hopes that it would be put to good use. Sadly, it was barely glanced at since it was given a year ago. The somewhat gullible lord was told at a young age that his virginity ensured his prowess in battle, and he never dared to dispute it. That is, until Soma came along, and Saizo finally witnessed his friend grow hungry for something other than food and drink.

 

“Hmph,” he crossed his arms in front of himself, feeling slightly exposed. “You _must_ be joking.”

 

Soma walked ahead of him, and he watched her twirl dreamily as soft petals floated all around her. He knew that the blossoms in Kyoto were even more renowned than those in Echigo, and had been confidentially looking forward to their journey for weeks.

 

“Imagine being romanced by a handsome lord…” She said with a laugh. She turned to him and he mindlessly began to groom the petals out of her hair where they had become stuck. “Could you really picture _me_ as the lover of a renowned warlord like Uesugi Kenshin?”

 

“Yes,” he answered, and Soma immediately blushed. “You know how needy those people are. You show up and feed them and care for them… I’m surprised Kenshin let you leave.”

 

“Well, what about you, Saizo?” She asked, looking up at him through long eyelashes. “Do you like… having me around?”

 

“I’m just here for the dango,” he replied with a smirk. He cleared his throat and passed her, now leading her on the way down the path towards her own home. He felt her glaring at the back of his head and allowed himself a quiet chuckle. Her fire was something he could get used to; it made him feel like he mattered.

 

Everyone who met Soma seemed to fall in love with her and he could easily see why. She was loving, and funny- her little face showed every emotion coursing through her brain. She had a sense of duty to others, and was kind, though often to a fault. She made the prospect of being a normal, everyday person extremely attractive.

That being said, Saizo was not a normal, everyday person; he was a deadly assassin and a hunted man. He found it appropriately perplexing that a woman of her background could so readily accept that about him. Soma was the most headstrong woman he’d ever met and he found that to be her most irresistible quality of all. On the other hand, idly daydreaming about her made him feel like a fool.

 

“What are you scowling about now ?” She asked him, jabbing him playfully in the arm.

 

“It’s been a while, that’s all,” he innocently lied, gesturing toward the vast marketplace that bustled with scores of people from all walks of life. “I’ve forgotten how it feels to just be another person in the crowd. It’s… nice.”

 

“Well, you put up a tough front, sensei,” she said, visibly confused by the conflict between his sentimental words and facial expression. “I suppose people have heard a lot of rumours about you, right? Are you worried that you might be recognized?”

 

“That is a good observation,” he said, thoughtfully. “I may have to pretend to be somebody else while I am here. For your family’s safety.”

 

“Oh…” She sounded somewhat disappointed at first but her resilient attitude prevailed and she beamed up at him, regardless. “I won’t give you away if you come and see the blossoms with me!”

 

“Let’s see your family, first,” he replied with a smirk.

 

Suddenly Yahiko appeared in front of them and rubbed his eyes, unbelieving that he was really seeing his sister in the flesh. He looked tired and work-warn. He reminded the man a bit of Sasuke, albeit his senses appeared to be dulled from mundane city life. Though the boy and his apprentice were of approximately the same age, Yahiko seemed much older just from the sheer joylessness of his daily routine. How Soma had managed to avoid this appearance herself spoke volumes of her character.

 

“Soma! Is it really you?”

 

“Yahiko!” She cried, nearly falling over herself to embrace him. “Please forgive me!”

 

The boy pulled away from her and gave her a serious look.

 

“Don’t do that to yourself,” he said quietly, taking her travel bundle from her. “You’ve been through a lot from what I’ve heard.”

 

Saizo watched the boy press his forehead lightly against his sister’s; something that Yukimura did to him from time to time. The trite gesture took on a deeper meaning as he observed Soma and her brother, however, and a pang of guilt suddenly struck him for having left the young lord behind.

  
Yahiko led the three of them towards the restaurant and as they entered, Soma’s mother immediately rushed towards them, tears forming in her eyes.

 

“Oh, Soma…” she said. “I’m so happy you’re back. We were so worried but then we got your letter and-”

 

“I know,” Soma interrupted. “I’m sorry, mother. I-”

 

“Oh, hello, Genji,” It was Mother’s turn to interrupt when she noticing the man standing before her. She quickly readjusted herself, and wiped her tears away on her sleeve. “You’ve caught me at a strange time, I’m afraid. I’m happy to see you up and about… And with my daughter, no less!”

 

Soma’s eyes went wide. _Genji?_

 

“Ah, yes indeed,” Saizo said to the woman, his voice suddenly much more delicate. “I was in Kai receiving medical treatment and I came across Soma during my travels.”

 

“That’s quite the coincidence!” Mother said. “Have the treatments helped? You seem to be looking much better, if I may say so.”

 

“I’ve never felt better, actually,” he replied as he glanced briefly at Soma. She was gaping at them in shock.

 

She couldn’t believe how blatantly Saizo was lying and how straight his expression was, in spite of that little wrinkle between his eyebrows. Mother caught her look and tapped her on the wrist.

 

“Come now, Soma! You know _Genji_ …” She said, apparently embarrassed by her staring. She obviously held the man Saizo was pretending to be in very high regard.

 

“I thought I did…” Soma muttered under her breath.

 

“Soma can be rather forgetful, I’m afraid,” Yahiko offered. He was next to receive their mother’s chastising tap on the wrist.

 

“I should go check on my place now if you don’t mind,” Saizo said, bowing to them. “May I keep your lovely daughter with me for the time being?”

 

“Oh, I insist, dear Genji!” Mother exclaimed, clasping her hands together. She was ever the matchmaker. Yahiko hid a snicker behind his sleeve and Soma rolled her eyes at him.

 

“But I just got here…” She protested.

 

“We rented out your room,” Yahiko whispered to her. Mother shot him a look that could kill.

 

“You’d be delighted, right, little lady?” She coaxed as she quickly shooed Soma out the door. Saizo trailed behind, clearly amused.

 

 _Little lady…_ Soma suddenly realized what her mother was talking about. There was a man called Genji who was the shut-in owner of _Yugiri_ , a popular restaurant nearby. She’d never met him, only she really had; he just wasn’t the person she thought he was. Confused, she felt her eyes glaze over. There was obviously more to this than she thought.

 

“That restaurant has been open since before my father died…” She said to Saizo as they walked down the street together. “How can you possibly be that, well… old?”

 

“I’m not _that_ old,” he replied, giving her a sidelong glance. Even his walk was different as they passed by the busy merchant stalls; more feeble, less confident. “The restaurant is an elaborate front, you see. It’s our eyes and ears in the capital. Everyone who works there is from Iga village.”

 

“So it’s a… _shinobi restaurant_?” She asked, her face twisted up like the concept was completely inconceivable.

 

“You could say that,” he replied with a chuckle, having never looked at it quite that way before. “The former owner was a sickly shut-in, often bedridden. It makes it easy to disappear from time to time if I maintain that appearance- or rather, lack thereof.”

 

“Amazing…” Soma said. “And you know my mother?”

 

“Oh yes. We’ve had many a conversation about you over tea.”

 

“You have?” She said, her face turning bright red. He liked this look on her. “What did she say about me?”

 

Saizo’s lips began to wobble as he attempted to hold in a burst of laughter. Soma glared at him so fiercely that he wondered if steam was going to escape from her ears.

 

“She’s afraid you’ll never find a man,” he admitted, flatly. Soma wound up and punched him in the arm unexpectedly, and he cursed aloud. They both looked at each other and laughed.

 

“It’s rather grand, isn’t it?” He commented as they reached the elaborately decorated archway leading to his restaurant. She nodded.

 

“Master Genji!” An attendant cried as they entered. “It’s so nice to see you again!”

 

“Yes, master Genji…” A female attendant said as she looked over Soma jealously. “It’s been too long.”

 

In fact, all of the female attendants surrounded Saizo and began to fuss over him. Soma had never seen anything like it before; he was completely magnetic.

 _He is rather handsome, I suppose,_ she thought.

Saizo suddenly took Soma’s hand. All of the female attendants backed away from him immediately and their entire demeanour towards her changed. He gave them a pleasant wave of dismissal before leading Soma to his private apartment that was located at the back of the building.

 

“Are you in charge of all of these people?” She asked him as they walked, feeling everyone’s eyes on her until they turned a corner and were finally alone again. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, apparently surprised by her interest in this particular detail.

 

“I suppose I am…” He said, having to think about it. He was asked to play the role of owner, and so he could only assume that he was the one in charge. “I was simply appointed as representative. Yes, that is more accurate. Why do you ask? I have many prospects for someone of my humble beginnings, I assure you.”

 

He appeared to have been made slightly uneasy by Soma’s question, then she noticed that his hand hadn’t left hers the entire time.

 

“Oh…” She said, and skipped to match their steps. “I don’t really care about things like that…”

 

“Well, you should,” he replied, matter-of-factly. “Ah, here we are. Would you care for some tea?”

 

“I don’t suppose you have anything a bit stronger…” She replied as she shot him a playful look that made his eyebrow raise again.

 

“Of course,” he said. “I’ll be back in a moment. Make yourself comfortable.”

 

He gestured towards some cushions arranged at a small table in the middle of the room before he excused himself and closed the door behind him. Soma watched his graceful shadow disappear before she allowed herself to fall backwards onto one of the cushions.

 

 _What am I doing?_ She chastised herself, barely able to contain her girlish giggling. She suddenly stood and started curiously looking around the room. She reasoned with her guilty conscience that Saizo would be doing the same thing in her place.

The room was unsurprisingly sparse; never being home definitely had its perks when it came to tidiness. There was a writing desk in the adjoining room, which Soma supposed was the sleeping chamber. On the wall by the desk was a beautiful painting of a heron standing on one foot in a pond. There was a somewhat familiar-looking book on the writing desk. She moved in for a closer look.

 

 _The Lover’s Guide?_ She mouthed the title silently.

 

“Have you read it?” Saizo’s voice came from over her shoulder. Surprised, she quickly spun around to face him.

 

He’d remarkably managed to wash himself in the short time that he was gone; a hint of lavender wrapped itself around her like soft arms. Soma knew that shinobi generally did not like to give off any kind of scent, making this a special occasion.

 

“Oh, no…” She tried to recover, embarrassed that she’d been caught snooping. “I can’t say that I have…”

 

She knew the book, its poetically-written passages depicting acts of lust beyond imagination. She recited them by memory some nights, imagining her hands were the hands of someone else. It never embarrassed her before- that is until she assigned faces to the hands that caressed her body; namely Saizo and Yukimura’s.  
She was taken aback by how cheerful the former appeared before her now, so contrary to the man she’d grown accustomed to. His posture was relaxed and far from cold as he held a tray of sake for them to share. He was shaven and combed, and sported a more casual black yukata instead of the hakama and kimono he’d worn in to town. Like Lord Yukimura often did, he skipped the juban underneath. A hint of his bare, muscular chest peeked out at her, pale as the dawn. Soma reasoned that he would not get much sun by staying up all night and napping during the day as he often did. The flesh was youthful and supple underneath, in spite of the abuse it regularly endured. Soma could not help but be respondent to this drastic change in his appearance and felt her guard begin to lower immediately.

 

“What did you think of it?” He asked, sensing of course that she was lying. He handed her a cup of sake.

 

Soma’s face turned hot but it didn’t sound as if Saizo was judging her or teasing her in any way; he was truly interested. He knew that she could read and write because he’d seen her do both. Hesitating on her answer, she took the drink in one gulp and the spirits soon took over her empty stomach.

 

“I liked it,” she began, reluctantly. She wasn’t sure if it was even an appropriate topic of conversation; though she supposed they were friends, after all. “I liked how the- um… _lady parts_ are described. Like flowers.”

 

“You and your flowers,” he muttered with a small smile. He gestured behind him to the table in the other room. “There’s food here if you’d like. It can’t compete with your cooking but I think you will enjoy it all the same. My people are quite competent.”

 

“Thank you,” she said, and allowed herself a glance at the table. To her delight it was covered in an array of stunning food, some of which she’d never sampled before. “Oh, this looks amazing!”

 

They sat across from each other. Not able to resist the temptation of a good meal, Soma filled their bowls with rice and began to serve. Saizo observed her every move but she was almost used to that by now.

 

“I just meant to say about the flowers…” She continued as she attempted to make conversation. “I thought that the author described women very respectfully.”

 

“You do have a grace about you, you know,” he said. Soma felt suddenly flushed and nearly dropped the chopsticks. He chuckled as he leaned back in his seat and she caught a flash of his amber eyes. “Not while under pressure, mind you. Help yourself to sake if you please.”

 

“I don’t feel pressured about anything,” she replied in a slightly confrontational tone that made him bite his lower lip. “I will help myself to your sake, however.”

 

Suddenly he was behind her, his mouth close to her ear. She froze, not knowing at all what to do. He was nearly pressed up against her but no part of them met save for his sweet breath on her face.

 

“Have you been practicing the Art of Seduction?” He asked in a whisper that sent chills up her spine.

 

“What… do you think?”

 

Unlike her poor performance back in Kai, she could flirt with him confidently in this instance, knowing that her feelings for him were at least somewhat reciprocated. Saizo was the type of man who wouldn’t be there if he didn’t want to be.

She turned so that she could see his expression.

 

“I think you’re getting the hang of it,” he replied with a smile.

 

“What do I do now?”

 

“I want you to feed me,” he said, and plopped down beside her.

 

“You want me to… Why?” Soma giggled and she felt her face get redder. He tilted his head to the side and bit his lip again.

 

“It would please me,” he replied, simply. Soma couldn’t help but shake her head, unbelieving that the man was actually serious. To show that he was, he opened his mouth for the first bite.

 

Soma pursed her lips together and tried to stifle her giggling as she took up her chopsticks. She took the bowl and brought it closer to him. She brought a dumpling to his lips and placed it into his mouth, and the rudimentary task of eating suddenly became very sensual. She was filled with a strange pleasure from engaging in what was fundamentally innocent behaviour with this very handsome man. She’d never experienced anything quite like it before.

Saizo chewed the dumpling, enjoying every moment as his lips began to glisten with the oil of the meat. Soma watched him intently, and wondered what she should feed him next.

 _Perhaps some radish to cleanse the palate…_ She thought, and took up her chopsticks once again.

He opened his mouth and she placed the radish there. His eyes followed her every move. He chewed and swallowed but didn’t open his mouth wide again.

 

“I want to see you eat, too,” he said. “You haven’t eaten all day.”

 

Soma took up her own bowl and turned her gaze to the beautiful assortment of dishes laid out for them. She settled on a dumpling, as Saizo appeared to have enjoyed the one she fed him. The smell of the food was so enticing that soon any reservations that she may have had simply melted away. She brought the dumpling to her lips but instead of eating it whole she took a bite to savour it, and soon felt some of the juices trickling down her chin.

Instead of commenting on her incompetence as she expected, Saizo leaned closer to her and extended a hand to her face. With the pad of his thumb, he gently wiped the juices back up to her lips and pushed them into her mouth.

 

“Mustn’t spill, little lady,” he said with a grin. He placed the thumb that was in her mouth into his and sucked it clean. “Those really are quite good, aren’t they? Much of this is suited to a more Northern palate but I hope you try a bit of everything.”

 

Soma nodded as she quickly ate the rest of the dumpling with some rice. It was the first meal they’d had in nearly two days and she was already feeling the effects of the sake. That said, she did not hesitate to pour herself another cup and refill Saizo’s as well. They toasted and drank- a number of times; and with each drink Saizo’s handsomeness became increasingly difficult to ignore.

She ate some steamed vegetables next, mushrooms and cabbage, to distract her somewhat from the lure of her tantalizing host. It was savoury and delicious, just what she needed. Before long, she realized that she had been neglecting Saizo’s appetite. He did not seem hurt as he placed even more food in her bowl, and sake in her cup for her to enjoy.

 

“What would you like, Saizo?” She asked him, playfully shooing his hands away from the table.

 

“I want to taste you,” he replied very seriously. Her eyes went wide.

 

“Y-you what?” She stammered.

 

“Here…” He said, pointing to her mouth, then to her lap. “And here.”

 

“But… But I…” Soma could not form the words, her mind rushing through imagined consequences should she allow him to do as he suggested.

 

Analyzing him, he appeared almost docile as he gazed at her affectionately. The edges of his shining eyes curved slightly, his features simultaneously delicate and angular. He had been the focus of her infatuation for so long that she could not help but remain motionless after his instigation, almost preferring to live forever in this state of uncertainty than to rush to a decision.

 

Growing impatient, he grabbed her wrist and drew her in to his kiss. It was passionate, his soft mouth exploring hers with every inch of his tongue. She soon relaxed into the embrace and allowed him to cradle her in his arms. They kissed intensely until they were both left gasping for air. He rolled her off of his lap and lowered her gently to the tatami floor. He hovered over her, trailing the tip of his tongue down across the corners of her mouth and along her jawline. She shivered, having day dreamed about this moment ever since their first encounter.

She involuntarily arched her back, bringing herself closer to his touch. He kissed down the opening of her yukata where it crossed over her chest, and untied her obi. Her garment came undone, and in a few quick motions she was left in nothing but her thin, white juban.

She closed her eyes, revelling in the warmth of his kisses and the gentleness with which he was dealing them. She felt something warm at her bosom, and realized that he was nuzzling and licking her nipples through the fabric of her undergarment. He placed his mouth on one mound and sucked on it gently, causing a wave of stimulation to shoot through her like a bolt of lightening.

 

“Ah! Saizo…” She moaned, and arched her back once more.

 

“Can I see more of you?” He asked. He was finding it very difficult to control himself, having stowed away his desires for so long.

 

“You’ve already seen me, haven’t you?” She asked him. She was more than a little drunk but keen as ever.

 

“I suppose that’s true,” he muttered, and quickly untied her juban. She was right; he had been following her ever since she arrived in Kai that fateful day. It took him a little while to figure out exactly who she was, but he eventually did; and there was no way he would allow himself to lose sight of her again.

 

Her curvaceous body now fully revealed to him, he ran his hands over it, cross-referencing each line with the ones he’d surveyed from the shadows. How anyone could have ever mistaken her for a boy was beyond his comprehension, though he supposed he was somewhat of an expert on these matters.

 

“Wait…!” She gasped, suddenly very shy. He paused, his hands perched on the sensuous curves of her thighs as he was preparing to part them. “I haven’t had a chance to bathe.”

 

“I don’t care,” he said, flatly. He continued with his mission to open her legs and reveal the delicious secret between them.

 

Soma’s “lady parts”, as she put them, already glistened wet from arousal. He smiled at the sight of this, and at the ample folds of flesh therein. It was as a piece of ripe fruit; something easy to overindulge in.

Her arms lay almost defiantly at her sides, as though it was the only thing keeping her from pushing him away. To test this theory, as he knelt between her legs he took her hands and placed them on her mound to hold open her quivering prize for his perusal.

He positioned himself on his stomach on the floor with his face between her thighs. His mouth was mere inches away from her and he watched her convulse from the stimulation of nothing but his breath. Her aroma was umami and erotic, nothing at all like she likely imagined. He found it as intoxicating as the sake they’d been drinking.

He kissed and licked her softly while her hands held herself open to his ministrations. He began at her entrance and slowly lapped upwards with the flat of his tongue, paying special mind to the bundle of nerve endings where the folds met at the top. He made sure not to miss that spot, nor to abuse it.

He reached up and grabbed onto the flesh of her hips, kneading it forcefully. Her head was thrown back and, to his disappointment, he couldn’t see her face when he looked up to watch her reactions to his touch. He could hear her, albeit faintly, moaning and calling his name in her pretty voice. Her body shuddered involuntarily beneath him and his erection strained almost painfully against the floor in response.

She tasted salty-sweet, her excitement only increasing with every movement, and he struggled to lap it all up like he was playing a game with himself. He knew that most of this was completely new to her and it pleased him to think he might give her an experience she would not soon forget.

He wondered if that Inuchiyo boy that her family took in when she was younger had ever tried to get her like this. Surely, he had. If not, he was a fool. Saizo pitied any man who ever stood poised at her threshold and never forced himself over it. She was a beautiful woman; strong and sensuous.

 _If only she knew her own worth,_ he thought.

 

She lifted her head up and their eyes met for a brief moment before she flung it back again and let out a scandalous moan. Her fingers left their post to tangle in his hair as he skillfully brought her to orgasm, his mouth wrapped delicately over her entirety.

He didn’t dare move until her body stopped shaking, though his prick ached, trapped beneath him against the tatami. It pulsated every time her flesh pulsated against his lips. Her orgasm was so intense that he thought he might also reach climax from that alone.

Her breathing slowed and she loosened her grip on his head. He lifted himself onto his hands and knees and hovered over her until she drew him in to kiss her. He wrapped his arms around her and shared her flavour as their tongues entwined. She learned very quickly how he liked to be kissed. Soma was a very responsive lover; the kind he always hoped for whenever he did this kind of thing.

He was the first one to break from the kiss, and her arms followed him, beckoning him to return to her embrace. He smiled at this and took one of her hands as he knelt beside her and kissed it gently. She rolled over towards him and reached for her juban but he stopped her.

 

“Stay like this, unless you are cold,” he said. “Come, let’s eat and drink some more.”

 

To show her that he was serious, he sat back up at the table and removed his yukata and fundoshi so that he was also naked. His flesh gleamed in the lamplight, pale but fiercely strong. Amazingly, he was not covered in scars as she’d imagined. His appearance was instead strangely exotic, his musculature impressive for a man of his smaller stature. He was but a few inches taller than she, after all, and stood nearly a head shorter than Yukimura. That fact never deterred from his presence, however. She recalled him towering intimidatingly over the young lord during their fight at the watchtower in Echigo.

Soma slowly lifted herself up, but her body felt weak and clumsy from her climax and the sake. The ache between her legs was ever-present, however, longing urgently for more. She found her seat beside him but he smiled and shook his head before lifting her up with significant ease and placing her onto his lap as he sat crosslegged at the table. He adjusted himself slightly and she suddenly felt his length jutting upward from between her thighs, pushing teasingly against her mound. She took a curious glance down at it and marvelled at the ample, veiny shaft and pleasantly bulbous head connected to her with an embarrassing string of her own arousal.

 

He hugged her from behind and buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. She smelled sweaty and raw, with still a hint of forest from their travels earlier that day. One of her arms rested atop of his, the other reached up to gently caress the back of his neck. Her touch felt like warm petals dancing over his skin, playful and delicate.

 

“Pour some sake, would you?” He directed, and slid his hands over her breasts, tugging at her nipples.

 

Soma did as he asked and refilled their cups. Saizo took his and downed it in one shot before turning his attention to his twitching length that made sensual noises as he slid it over her opening. He paused only for a moment to allow her to drink, as well.

She looked down again after feeling a pressure and saw that the head of his prick had disappeared inside of her. He paused obediently there so as not to decide anything else for her. This position ensured, at least seemingly, that Soma was in control of the extent that his shaft was inserted. She was so aroused that she felt it would not be difficult to take the entire thing, despite having never done so before.

 

“Am I asking too much?” Saizo’s husky rasp came from behind her.

 

The audibly concerned tone of his question was enough for her to decide to relinquish her weight down upon him. A stuttered gasp escaped from both of them simultaneously. It hurt; but would have hurt more without the drink. She felt a bulge hit the highest point of her canal, burning someplace near her bellybutton. His arms tightened around her. Her head fell backwards to rest on his shoulder.

 

 _By the gods…_ He thought to himself as a predatory growl pushed past his lips. _I’m really her first…_

 

All of his concentration techniques were of no use to him as his head swam with thoughts he‘d never allow himself while sober. He wanted to wrench her apart from the inside out with his love; an emotion so obtuse that it upset his every sensibility. His desire for her invoked a real, burning passion in him. It made him feel alive.

He thought it fitting that a man of his experience should be the one to finally corrupt her, recalling what he’d said to Yukimura outside her bedroom in Echigo that night; _If you want something done right, do it yourself…_

He imagined how his clumsy friend might fumble over her sensuous body and it made him feel a strange sort of pity for him. He hoped the stubbornly shy Yukimura might bring himself to finally read the Lover’s Guide after meeting Soma. He clearly adored her as much as Saizo did, which spurred Saizo’s reasoning for leaving both he and Sasuke behind without saying a word; he wanted her all to himself, even if it was just for one night. When they all reunited again it would prove only too tempting to encourage Soma to show the young lord a thing or two while he observed. He wondered if she would indulge him.

 

“Have some more food,” he grunted. It was all he could do to avoid ejaculating from her tight hole and his terrible thoughts.

 

“Ungh- right now?” Soma laughed, her pretty face conflicted from the sensations coursing through her body. He imagined that, in their state, eating was the furthest thing from her mind.

 

“I need to slow down,” he admitted, quietly. “You’ve already got me on the edge.”

 

Soma suddenly froze in place at his revelation. Saizo straightened her up in his lap and continued to hold her tightly, panting so heavily against her back that it grew damp from his breath. She had him in a place she never thought she would; bared and truly vulnerable.

 

“Do… I feel that good, Saizo?” She asked him, her voice devastatingly innocent. He chuckled, surprised by her question.

 

“Yes,” he said. “You are very tight and I… I want you so badly.”

 

“I’ll do as you say,” she replied. The very act of her speaking sent vibrations through her body into his prick.

 

Indulging his request, Soma found her chopsticks on the table and gingerly gathered a piece of grilled eel between them. She took a bite of the salty fish before Saizo leaned forward over her shoulder and opened his mouth. She smiled and fed him the rest.

Soma fed them fresh bonito, fried tofu and vegetables, and refilled their sake cups. Saizo remained persistently hard inside of her, beyond turned on by their activity. He adored her voluptuous body. Soft and supple, even nurturing, her shape simply added to this dual pleasure of food and sex. To him, she was the ultimate joining of his two most beloved obsessions.

When he was full, he piled a couple of cushions behind him and leaned back to admire her body. A droplet of sweat trailed down her spine to her ass. He pulled her apart slightly to see where they were connected and watched her instinctually tighten and loosen around his shaft. Every movement lured an unintentional sound from him, as though he had no control over his experience whatsoever. It was a new sensation that he enjoyed completely, though he was teetering dangerously on the brink of losing himself the entire time. He couldn’t remember the last instance he’d had sex for _recreational_ purposes, least of all with someone he so desired.

It wasn’t long before Soma figured out how to also access pleasure from his penetration and began rolling her hips slowly over him, pumping him gently in and out of her of her own volition. She attempted to stifle her moans with the back of her hand, unsuccessfully.

 

“Good girl,” he growled, jutting his hips upward to meet her. “Does that feel nice?”

 

Soma couldn’t answer. She didn’t know what to say, caught between warring feelings of guilt and rapture. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, and that she’d thought about sharing this moment with him many times.

Back in Echigo, however, she’d wanted to say the same to Yukimura when he leaned in to embrace her. She knew that Saizo must have seen the odd tension that was building between them, and had also grown jealous of Lord Kenshin’s advances. It was very likely the reason he ultimately decided to honour their bargain and bring her home to Kyoto. She wondered if he realized how odd it was for him to insist they leave after dark while everyone was asleep, and hoped he didn’t really think she was that dense.

 

He led her gently to the ground with him so that he lay spooning her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her and brought his mouth close to her face. As he fucked her slowly, he trailed his tongue along the ridge of her ear. It tickled, but made her shiver with delight. His naked body against hers felt comforting and warm. As he allowed his fingers to caress over her breasts and stomach, he once again settled on the pleasure spot of her mound and began to massage it gently.

 

“I want to make you come again,” he said, his voice shaky from his exertion.

 

Soma allowed him to bring her to the heights she craved once again while her head swam in sake and the sheer disbelief of her current circumstances. The sensations coursing through her body were practically overwhelming, very much like Saizo’s hypnotic gaze. She wondered if all shinobi made love as fatally as they killed.

She knew that he must have been experienced but could not understand how he managed to resist his own orgasm. She realized that while he was busy toying with her body he had already ejaculated inside of her as semen began to slowly trickle from between her thighs.

 

“Saizo-san…” She whimpered. “I’ll get pregnant…”

 

Saizo merely grunted in response as he continued to take her from behind. Soon enough, they came together one final time, writhing against each other in ecstasy. Neither made a sound; instead, their mouths hung open, incapable of even issuing breath as they shuddered with the overwhelming sensation of their shared climax.

 

Soma awoke a few hours later, her mind fuzzy from the drink, her body weak. As she pieced together the events of the evening, she quickly noticed Saizo asleep beside her. They were both naked and lying in his bed.

The panic that she felt when she realized that she’d lain with him was soon replaced with an odd curiosity, however, when she noted that she’d never before seen him so peaceful. She could not help but to gaze upon him for several moments until he finally popped one eye open to catch her in the act.

 

“Trouble sleeping, little lady?” He said with a smile. Soma’s cheeks suddenly burst into flame.

 

“Oh… Yes.” She muttered, averting her eyes.

 

“There is a sleeping robe there,” he said, gesturing to the floor beside her. “Go and open the patio door, will you? Some fresh air will help.”

 

She did as she was told and, to her astonishment, Saizo’s bedroom opened out into a beautiful private garden. In the centre stood a magnificent sakura tree that gracefully spilled petals with each coaxing drift of the soft breeze that passed. The moonlight made the dew everywhere sparkle and the smell was absolutely glorious.

 

“Oh, Saizo…” She sighed, breathing in the awesome scent of the foliage and night air.

 

Suddenly, he was behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned back into his embrace. Feeling him near her in this space was incredible and she found herself wishing that the moment would never end.

Soma had been so caught up in the whirlwind of their adventure that, now that things had settled down and she was beginning to see the reality of their situation, she was having difficulty processing the logistics of their strange coupling.

 

“What are you so worried about?” He asked her, instinctively.

 

She turned to him and, seeing that he was still naked, untied her robe and wrapped it around him, pressing her body against his and burying her face in his chest. She wanted to memorize the feeling of his skin on hers before she would be forced to say goodbye to him again.

 

“Saizo…? Genji…?” She said, her eyes beginning to sting. “I don’t really know you, do I? I don’t know anything about you…”

 

“I am Kirigakure Saizo,” he whispered into her ear. “Ninja of Iga and personal assassin to Lord Sanada Yukimura. You know this.”

 

“But I don’t know _you_ …” Soma protested, and Saizo felt dampness on his chest from her tears.

 

He pulled away from her and cupped her cheeks with both hands. When she reluctantly looked into his eyes he could see that she was very upset and possibly regretful for having been intimate with him. He was afraid that would happen.

As a sworn warrior of Iga, Saizo was bound to his duty and could never marry. His vocation meant, too, that he was living on borrowed time. His missions frequent and often potentially suicidal, his skill alone did not provide complete insurance against a violent demise. Oftentimes he’d felt what the common folk called “luck” bless him with the opportunity to live another day when all reason dictated otherwise. One day, he would most assuredly die by the sword if his fevers did not claim him first.

Though his life seemed futile and at times extraordinarily difficult, there was some bit of insight so genius in its simplicity that was shared with him many years before that kept him going; and it pained him now to realize that the sensei may have forgotten the very lesson she’d bestowed upon him.

 

“You know much more about me than you can even remember now,” he said.

 

“What do you mean, Saizo?” She asked him, and as she blinked two droplets fell like diamonds onto her soft cheeks. He wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs.

 

He kissed her softly on the mouth before pulling away, and disappeared into the other room. When he returned, he held up a stick of dango. He offered it to her and she accepted it with a confused look.

 

“To eat is to live…” He said, unable to keep his voice from breaking slightly from the emotions coursing through him. Just this once, he decided to let it happen. “If you can eat, even when times are hard, you will find a way.”

 

Soma’s eyes widened as she stared at the dango. 

 

“My father used to say that,” she muttered.

 

After a few moments’ pause, Soma silently returned to Saizo’s embrace. Smiling, he led her back into the house; smiling because he knew that she’d remembered the day she changed his life forever with a stick of dango and those words. The very least that he could do for her was to try and return the favour.

They sat up in bed and shared the dango in a peaceful, albeit pregnant silence. Finally Saizo pulled Soma towards him and threw off her robe in one deft motion. She gasped as he brought his face close to her neck and kissed and nibbled the sensitive flesh.

 

“I want to know everything about you, too, Soma…” He whispered in his husky voice between kisses, each word rendering Soma more and more under his spell. “But you must promise me something…”

 

“Yes…” She sighed, and he felt her pawing at his hair and shoulders while he seduced her. Her touch was so gentle and kind, as if to say, _“I love you”,_ with every pass.

 

“Whatever secrets you choose to tell me, you will tell me alone.”

 

He pulled away from her to look at her face. She gazed at him heavily from behind her long eyelashes, her arms wrapped around his neck. A soft smile drifted across her lips.

 

“I promise,” she whispered. He kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth as if to greedily sweep her promise from it.

 

He guided her onto her back on his bedding and positioned himself between her legs. Balancing his weight on his knees and elbows, he lay on top of her and continued to kiss her deeply until he was hard enough to sightlessly guide his prick back inside her molten body. Her internal muscles flexed around him rhythmically as he began to move his hips, each thrust progressing in its passion.

It became apparent that he was not only fulfilling a carnal urge; he was actually making love for the first time. Their bodies could somehow not get close enough together to satisfy him and he found himself relinquishing his weight down upon her as he worked to force his length as far deep as it could possibly reach. He longed to climb inside of her, feel how she felt, and to know her innermost self as intimately as his own.

Her head was thrown back and he kissed and licked the outline of her jaw. He could hear her softly murmuring his name in a daze, like his lovemaking was transporting her to another place. He laboured passionately, withholding his burning lust until he felt her body finally contract and shudder beneath him. He quickened and held her tightly. With a cry he shot another charge of his seed deep into her womb while it still quivered from her own orgasm.

Observing her for several weeks proved to have its benefits as he knew Soma’s cycle and there was minimal chance of her becoming pregnant at this time. He did consider in his weak-minded state of afterglow that he should be so lucky as to have a woman so beautiful and nurturing give him a child to outlive him, and that perhaps he should not be so careful next time.

They remained connected, holding each other tightly. Their breathing gradually slowed, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.


	7. The Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saizo and Soma's holiday is interrupted when a desperate Yukimura is set on bringing the young woman back with him to Kai. When he challenges Keiji to a friendly game of cards, however, he winds up losing more than he bargained for. Soma is visited by someone from the past, who not only wreaks havoc on her emotions, but also on her cherished hairpin.

 

Yukimura politely pushed through the crowded marketplace, following some lucid memory of his last excursion to what he supposed was Soma’s restaurant. He thought she looked familiar. He remembered making a fool of himself in front of her months ago but her casual demeanour at the time implied that she regularly encountered much worse.

The vague recollection of his run-in there with a flamboyantly-dressed patron who was speaking ill of Kiku’s betrothal made him cringe internally. _What was his name…_ He thought to himself. He hoped to avoid the man this time for Soma’s sake, especially considering that he had tried to kiss him and he had to punch him to get him to stop. The whole thing was embarrassing to no end. _Maybe she doesn’t remember…_

 

Saizo had once again gotten the better of the young lord, having decided to run off with Soma in the middle of the night after his final encounter with Fuma Kotaro. He hoped that the shinobi actually intended to return her to her family. Saizo was so unpredictable that the young lord wondered more than a little whether his own journey to Kyoto to retrieve them was just a fool’s errand.

It was doubtful that Soma would settle for anything less than her goal of returning home, considering the danger she’d found herself in while in their employ. Sasuke was very upset about not being able to say goodbye to her properly, and so was he. She had truly made such a difference in each of their lives, that he needed to thank her. He’d brought a purse with him full of money for her family in hopes of appeasing them.

 

Familiar, inviting scents filled his nostrils as he ducked beneath the archway of a nearby restaurant. As though transported by his sense of smell alone, he mindlessly floated from the front door to the bar and sat down on one of the vacant stools. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a dreamy sigh as he thought about Soma’s curvaceous, warm body pressed up against him during their training session. Her bottom was particularly impressive; probably from all of the work she did. No noblewoman Lord Shingen tried to introduce him to had a shapely bottom like that.

When he finally opened his eyes, a young boy stood before him, looking rather cross. Standing behind him was the fashionable man with whom he’d had the scuffle several months ago. The latter was smiling at Yukimura deviously from beneath lilac-blond bangs, his long arms crossed over a broad chest.

 

“Back for more, are we, darling?” He said with a whimsical lilt to his voice. He tossed his head to the side to reveal two sparkling violet eyes that had previously been hiding behind his hair.

 

“Keiji…!” Yukimura shouted, suddenly remembering the man’s name. He shot upright, sending his stool to the floor with a loud bang. To his astonishment, the two of them seemed to be equal in size and he wondered in his current state of sobriety if he might be a samurai like himself.

 

“Hey! What’s that racket?” A voice chimed in from nearby. An older woman with the same soft eyes as Soma’s approached them from the kitchen. She took one look at Yukimura and her mouth dropped open. “Milord!”

 

The boy, who he assumed was Soma’s brother Yahiko, quickly took the woman’s place in the kitchen as she took his place in front of Keiji. The man put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them affectionately before leaving his station to sit beside the young lord at the bar.

 

“Have a seat, Sanada,” he said to him as he reached down and picked up Yukimura’s barstool. “Are you hungry? Yahiko! Bring us some of those donuts!”

 

“Here, have some tea, milord,” Mother said as she poured a cup and placed it in front of him. Yukimura looked down at it, then at the woman’s friendly face, and decided that he should sit down and behave himself.

 

“Thank you,” he said, and took a drink. The tea was of a lesser quality than he was used to and it tasted bitter on his palate. He was thirsty, however, and kindly motioned for Soma’s mother to refill it.

 

“That is who you are, yes? Lord Sanada Yukimura?” Mother asked, leaning forward over the bar to get a better look at his face. He blushed, and raked a telling hand through his hair. “Soma told us about you. Thank you for taking care of her like you did.”

 

“Oh,” Yukimura said, his blush deepening. _She told them about me, huh?_ He thought, and smiled. “Yes, indeed. I’ll show you my seal if you’d like, but I don’t want to draw a lot of attention to myself. I’m sure you understand.”

 

“Thanks for not throwing your weight around this time,” Keiji said quietly with a raised eyebrow. He proceeded to massage his jaw comically, in homage to their last encounter. Yukimura expelled a nervous laugh.

 

“Sorry,” he offered. Keiji chuckled and slapped the young lord on the back.

 

“I was egging you on, wasn’t I?” He admitted, and Yukimura decided to let his guard down a little bit. They shared a laugh before Yahiko remerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of sparkling breads.

 

“What are those things?” The young lord asked, his stomach rumbling. A delicious smell wafted upwards from the tray to his nostrils, somewhat earthy and sweet.

 

“It’s a yeast-based fried bread dusted with sugar,” Mother explained, waving one hand in front of the tray and holding her stomach with the other as if to indicate that she’d already had more than her fill of the snacks. “Soma makes them from time to time. She got the recipe from a visiting European merchant a couple of years ago. We call them donuts.”

 

“ _Donuts_ , you say?” The young lord repeated, taking one of the sweets. The delicious smell increased in potency and allure as he brought it up to his mouth.

 

He bit down on the donut and closed his eyes. The sugar crystals exploded onto his tastebuds, carried by the soft chew of the slightly spiced bread that seemed to melt on his tongue. He thought for a moment that he’d died and gone to heaven. He quickly consumed the rest of it and opened his eyes to peruse the remainder of the tray’s contents in a miserly manner that made his hosts laugh.

 

“Help yourself,” Mother said with a bow. “It’s the very least we can do. Soma does her father very proud with her cooking, doesn’t she, Keiji?”

 

“She is truly something else,” the man agreed, nodding.

 

“Where is Soma?” Yukimura inquired between bites of his second donut, finally remembering the real purpose of his visit. “I need to speak with her.”

 

“It’s her day off,” Keiji explained as he took one of the donuts for himself. Yukimura watched possessively, even though he was already on his third at that point. “I think she and Genji were wanting to visit Toji today. Let me draw you a map, unless you’d like to wait here for them to return.”

 

“ _Genji_ …?” Yukimura muttered, then remembered the name Saizo used whenever he was in Kyoto. It was short for _Genjirou_ , which was his own childhood name. He never understood why Saizo would pick such a silly name for himself.

 

“I moved into Soma’s room so that we could free up the guest house for lodgers while she was away,” Keiji continued, and a wry smile crept back onto his pink lips. “She’s been staying at Yugiri restaurant with the owner, Genji, since she got back. Don’t quote me, but I think they’ve gotten awfully close, if you know what I mean…”

 

“Keiji!” Mother promptly scolded him, which made both men shift uncomfortably in their seats. “Only idlers gossip.”

 

“Yes, Mother,” Keiji replied, rolling his eyes. He settled them back on Yukimura, who was red from embarrassment, and leaned in close to him. “Don’t worry about Genji. He’s, like, a hundred years old. His hair is as silver as a mackerel.”

 

“I see…” Yukimura said. Keiji obviously knew nothing of Saizo’s true identity.

 

“Will you need lodgings during your stay, milord?” Mother inquired, stealing Yukimura’s attention with a click of her fingers. “We have a guest house out back. It’s not much, but it’s cozy.”

 

“That would be very nice, thank you,” he obliged. He knew that it was not often they received a guest of his status, but he wanted to be near Soma’s family. After getting to know her so well, he felt as though in some way they were his own.

 

“You’re pretty cute, Sanada,” Keiji said as they entered the privacy of the guest house after Mother had asked him to show the young lord his lodgings. “You’re about Soma’s age, I’d guess. Are you here to ask her to marry you?”

 

Yukimura quickly turned towards his accuser, his eyes wide as plates. There was a pregnant pause before he finally mustered a response.

 

“No,” he began, though he was unsure if that was even the truth. “She was such an immense help at Tsutsujigasaki Castle that they have requested her to return."

 

“Then why are _you_ here?” Keiji asked, implicatively. “Why would they not just send a messenger?”

 

“Well, I thought if I-”

 

“Let me quickly explain something to you,” Keiji interrupted with a dramatic flourish of his hand. He approached Yukimura and set his travel bundle down on the floor at his feet. “Someone else also holds Soma close to his heart, you see. He would be _very_ upset if anything bad were to happen to her- and we already have a bone to pick with that _disgusting_ magistrate…”

 

“What does any of that have to do with me?” Yukimura asked, crossing his arms in front of himself defensively. Soma had made no mention of any special man in her life, save for her brother and late father. _Does Soma have a boyfriend?_ He wondered.

 

“Perhaps nothing,” Keiji replied with a dismissive shrug. It was possible that he had noticed the young lord’s nervousness, and decided to soften his approach. “She is her own woman and should be able do as she pleases. Is that not so?”

 

“I agree with you, Keiji,” Yukimura said, though the man’s obscure warning echoed like a gong through his mind. _Perhaps there is more to this fellow, after all…_ He wondered.

 

“Good. We trust that no harm will come to her while she is in your care.”

 

“I would never let anything bad happen to Soma,” the lord reinforced, his own admission turning his face hot. He’d never said the words aloud before now.

 

“Good,” repeated Keiji. He flashed a toothy grin before he casually strolled out the door, waving absently behind him. “You are truly adorable! Seek me out tonight for some drinking.”

 

Once the strange man was out of sight, Yukimura gave his head a shake and retrieved the map he was given from where he’d stuck it in his belt.

Toji was a buddhist temple that was home to a stunning, five-story pagoda near the centre of town. In early spring, many people enjoyed viewing the sakura blooms on the quiet banks of Hyotan pond. Yukimura was not surprised that Soma would want to take Saizo there, as the place was renowned for its quiet beauty.

That afternoon, the temple grounds were heavily populated with visitors, and the young lord wondered how he might find his friends among them. Soon enough, however, he spotted Soma sitting on the bank of the pond. Her dark hair was pulled back and fastened with a fancy hairpin he’d never seen her wear before, and she had on a pink yukata that perfectly matched the blossoms surrounding them. She was lovely as a dream; a placid smile on her soft lips spoke of true contentment while she gazed down at something fondly.

Yukimura nearly barrelled over himself as he excitedly sped towards her, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed what she was smiling at: a reclining Saizo, dozing happily with his head resting on her lap. Not knowing what to do, the young lord impulsively ducked behind a bush. Soma did not seem to notice him, but wily Saizo opened one eye almost immediately.

 

“Afternoon, dear,” he said with a smirk. “What a nice surprise, you coming all this way just to interrupt my nap.”

 

Yukimura reluctantly emerged from his hiding place and raked his hand through his hair, then looked down at it as though he was angry at it for having done so. His face was red as an ember. Soma’s mouth dropped open and her pallor immediately began to match his, as though he was the very last person she expected to see at that moment. He averted his eyes and shifted his weight uncomfortably between his two feet.

He wanted to bolt from the scene. He felt humiliated but didn’t understand exactly why. He didn’t ever think it possible of himself but he felt truly and completely jealous for the first time in his life.

 

“What is the matter?” Saizo asked, suddenly standing right in front of him.

 

“You’re too quick for me, Saizo,” Yukimura managed, followed by an awkward chuckle. He realized the unintended double-meaning of his statement and heaved a heavy sigh.

 

“May we discuss this later?” Saizo said quietly so that only he could hear. His voice was not commanding this time; he was actually asking permission. Yukimura nodded.

 

“Welcome once again to Kyoto, milord,” Soma greeted him as she approached. She bowed to him, and he dismissed her formality with a wave of his hand. She was too beautiful to bow before anyone.

 

To his disappointment, she had remembered their first encounter; however she still treated him with respect and admiration. The thought made him smile.

 

“I’m very happy to see you,” he said as he gazed into her soft eyes. He looked back at Saizo, who seemed to be somewhat stunned by his suddenly relaxed demeanour. “Both of you. I thought that it would be most fortunate to find the two of you… together.”

 

“We are at your service, milord,” Saizo said with a slight bow. His eyes drifted upwards to his, as though he were trying to figure out Yukimura’s state of mind.

 

The young lord acknowledged the respect he was being shown by one who typically respected nothing and no one, least of all himself. He had considered that, if perhaps Saizo was to spend more time with Soma he might become less of an asshole. His unofficial prescription had apparently worked.

Without further delay, he proceeded to explain about Shingen’s lingering illness, as well as the fallout from their battle at Kasugayama. Their enemies considered their alliance with the Uesugi clan an act of war, and were actively seeking to double themselves in size and ferocity. They had acquired firearms, and rumour spread throughout the land that Tsutsujigasaki would soon be turned to dust on the wind by the Tokugawa and Oda armies.

He hesitated when he noticed how disturbed with worry Soma became as he explained the situation; but he knew that she was ultimately more concerned about Lord Shingen than about her own safety.

Takeda Shingen was as a second father to the young lord, having brought him on as a general of his army when their clans aligned several years before. His real father, Masayuki, was the head of the Sanada clan in Ueda. He respected Shingen, especially his decision to throw his own father from his seat as Takeda clan head. It took a great deal of courage to do something so fundamentally wrong in order to save his clan from being brought down by the senile decisions of a very sick, old man. Despite his terrifying reputation, Shingen was just and kind, always making sure his people were happy and well-fed. Yukimura truly looked up to him and would follow him into the bowels of hell itself if the situation called for it. All those in Shingen’s service felt the same way.

 

“I’ll go start packing,” Soma said sombrely as she clutched a hand to her chest. She bowed to the two men and started away at a speedy pace, leaving the serenity of the temple gardens behind her.

 

Saizo and Yukimura followed her back to Yugiri restaurant, allowing space between themselves and the woman so that they could speak together quietly.

 

“What did you do to her, Saizo?” Yukimura hissed, the veins in his neck nearly bulging from his rage. Saizo looked up at him with cocked eyebrows.

 

“Nothing that she did not enjoy,” he replied, bluntly.

 

Yukimura spat on the ground and muttered a curse under his breath.

 

“Soma is aware of my circumstances,” Saizo continued, unprompted. He cast a thoughtful glance at the woman ahead of them. “She knows that I cannot be her sole protector. I have advised her of that much.”

 

“You wish you could, though, don’t you?” Yukimura speculated, brooding. “I bet you wish you could just stay here forever- even become her husband, I suppose? Imagine, _you_ , somebody’s husband… I can’t even fathom it.”

 

“What does it matter, what I wish for?” Saizo said, absently.

 

Yukimura looked at his friend and frowned. He was being uncharacteristically maudlin, even for him.

He did not fully comprehend the boorish possessiveness he felt over Soma and knew in his heart that Saizo would not have simply taken advantage of her; she must have wanted him, too. Though the young lord wished that he had been the one she wanted instead, he was glad that Saizo had made her so happy. It seemed silly to want to reprimand him for it.

 

“I’m sorry,” he extended, feeling slightly embarrassed for his brashness. “I shouldn’t have said those things.”

 

“You were not wrong,” Saizo conceded with a shrug. “It is fairly certain that I will never be able to marry her, or anyone for that matter. The elders would never allow it. It would-”

 

“Interfere too much with your work,” Yukimura finished for him, feeling increasingly guilty for his behaviour. “You have told me this before.”

 

“Yes,” Saizo agreed. “I suppose no one can help but to repeat themselves to a friend of so many years. Not even one such as myself.”

 

“You’ve never called me your friend before, Sai- er, Genji,” Yukimura observed with a big grin. He was truly astounded by the strange changes in Saizo since last they saw each other, and knew that not all of it was part of the much gentler character he was assuming.

 

“Don’t let it go to your head, dear.”

 

 _Ah, there he is,_ the young lord mused to himself as he threw his big arm around Saizo’s shoulders; and the latter surprisingly just let it happen.

 

“Did Soma’s mother offer to put you up?” He asked.

 

“Tell me, who is that man that is always there?”

 

“Keiji?” Saizo confirmed. “Tried to kiss you again, did he?”

 

“N-no,” Yukimura replied, grimacing; though he in reality did not think that Keiji was an unattractive man. He also appeared to be rather attached to Soma’s family, which was a matter of great curiosity. “What do you know about him?”

 

“He comes across as a vagabond but I’d like to know where he gets those clothes. From what I have observed, he only works for Soma’s family in exchange for food and lodging.”

 

“Well, when I went there to find Soma he said something about someone else who holds her dear to his heart,” The young lord revealed. “He said the man would be _very upset_ if anything bad were to happen to her.”

 

“Interesting…” Saizo mused as he stroked his chin. “I wonder if he was talking about Inuchiyo.”

 

“That’s a funny sort of name…”

 

“It’s a nickname,” Saizo replied with a chuckle. “He was a young runaway that Soma’s family took in when she was just a child. For the first couple of years he followed her around like a puppy.”

 

“Oh, I get it now. What happened to him? He wasn’t there when I stopped in.”

 

Yukimura listened intently as his friend told him what he knew of the mysterious Inuchiyo; how he fought alongside Soma’s father to defend Kyoto, and was the one to have to carry his body home to his family when he was killed. He was also known as a bit of a strong-man, winning every sparring tournament in town as a youth. He thought it slightly odd, but the more the young lord heard about the man, the more he thought he might actually like him.

No one quite knew why he suddenly left Kyoto one day; but he did feel a great deal of guilt over the death of Soma’s father. The coincidental thing was that Keiji appeared just before Inuchiyo left. Saizo had previously considered that the two somehow knew each other, and Yukimura’s testimony confirmed his suspicions.

 

“His whereabouts are unknown, then?” Yukimura asked, fascinated by Saizo’s story. The latter gave him a wry smile.

 

“You know, you could ask Keiji where he is if you’re so interested,” he suggested. “He might oblige you, in exchange for something else.”

 

“Are you talking about me doing your _Art of Seduction_ on him?”

 

Yukimura thought at first that his friend had given him his book solely to tease him, and he was suddenly regretting not having given it much attention. _How would I even go about seducing another man?_ He wondered, having no practical knowledge of seducing girls, in any case.

Being around Soma shook him to his core. His mother died during childbirth and he had no sisters. It took him several days to stop staring at her just from the sheer novelty of her. Being close to a man, however, was something that he was much more used to. He wondered if intimacy must be a bit like sparring when with another of his kind, and decided that it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to seduce Keiji to get the information he wanted. At any rate, it might save the need for violence.

 

“I know you didn’t read my book,” Saizo challenged, perceptively. “How curious are you about this Inuchiyo? Because I wouldn’t be bothered with such a tedious thing, myself, frankly. We will be leaving soon, anyway.”

 

“What if he is an enemy of the Takeda?” Yukimura persisted, considering that Keiji knew who and what he was yet still threatened him so brazenly. Saizo was right about his clothing, too; he was a little too refined to be just some local drunkard.

 

“That is none of my concern,” Saizo replied, firmly shaking his head. He always maintained that he worked only for the young lord, and would not meddle in the Takeda’s politics unless it was absolutely necessary. “But I’ll lend you my copy if you’d like.”

 

Smiling smugly, Yukimura nudged his friend and discreetly showed him his copy of the Lover’s Guide that he had hidden in the folds of his yukata. Saizo smiled and patted him on the back in praise. It was the first time Saizo had touched him willingly out of kindness, and he appreciated the rare gesture; though he was still jealous.

 

They had dinner with Soma’s family at their restaurant that evening. The atmosphere was warm and friendly as always, despite the fact that Soma was being taken away once again. She and her mother served them, and they ate and drank well into the night.

When the meal was over, Mother and Yahiko began to clean up and Yukimura invited Keiji to the guest house for a game of cards. Saizo followed Soma to her old room so that she might gather some more things for their journey back to Kai.

 

His greedy eyes trailed over her as she bent down in front of him to rifle through an old chest. Her shining hair cascaded down her back in an ochre wave, leading to the paradise that was her ample backside. He’d never been so attracted to anyone that he found himself ogling so idly at them, and so often. Watching was just part of his job, but watching her had become a new reason for living.

 

“Can I assist you?” He asked her.

 

She looked back at him and smirked, shaking her head. He must have had some hint of lust in his voice because she apparently thought his question was just a cheeky come-on. _She truly is the perfect woman,_ he thought.

 

After a little while, he excused himself and slipped outside to see what kind of trouble his young friend was getting up to with the silly vagabond. He felt sinisterly curious about how their evening was playing out after all the sake they drank at dinnertime. He supposed that Yukimura would need all of the courage available to him if he was to see his plan through to the end.

He crept up to the sliding door of the guest house and cracked it open just a hair’s-width. What he saw when he peeked inside was not something he at all expected and it made him nearly fall backwards.

 

Yukimura lay sprawled out on his futon, naked. His bronze skin glowed in the soft light of a single candle. He might have been sleeping, were he not moaning softly from having his lengthy member stroked by an impassioned Keiji.

Keiji was also naked, his muscular body pressed closely against the lord’s as he planted soft kisses along his jawline. One hand cradled Yukimura’s head while the other gently massaged his erect prick, the tip of which glistened wet with arousal. His own length was pinned between himself and Yukimura’s hip, and he writhed his body rhythmically to stimulate it against the young man’s supple flesh.

Yukimura’s eyes were deliberately screwed shut, his hands clenched at either side of him. Keiji somehow managed to slip his erection into Yukimura’s palm and the young lord began to tug on it, albeit reluctantly.

It was quite obvious to Saizo that his friend was not in need of his assistance, so he slid the door shut and quietly made his way back to the main house. He had wasted enough time spying that when he returned the place was dark as though everyone inside had already gone to bed.

 

When he entered, he saw that Mother and Yahiko were in fact retired for the evening but he knew that Soma would still be awake, as she would be waiting for him to return. As he approached, he could hear her breathing heavily. Thinking she might be hurt, he looked into her room and observed another figure wrestling with her in the dark. He tried to calm himself, hesitant to act; he was supposed to be Genji, a man of ill-health and poor strength, after all.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and he saw that a tall man had Soma against the wall. As he held her yukata open, he licked and kissed the soft flesh of her breasts. Her arms were pinned at her sides, tangled in her garments, preventing her from escaping. The fact that she wasn’t screaming told Saizo something important; she knew her assailant. It was probable that she did not want whoever it was to be found out.

He wondered if it was the magistrate at first; but this handsome fellow looked nothing like the fat dullard they had all grown to hate. The man had slick dark hair that he kept having to sweep back from his face. Perhaps a bit older than Yukimura, he sported a pink kimono that bore a clan seal, but Saizo could not see it clearly. The scabbard of the katana on his hip shimmered sporadically in the moonlight. He was a samurai.

A strong-looking man, he overpowered Soma easily. His broad shoulders and long limbs suggested that he likely preferred to wield a type of yari in battle, like the young lord did. He was well-groomed, apart from being embarrassingly drunk.

 

Saizo could not help but become aroused when he saw Soma’s nipples, glistening wet with saliva, as they heaved from her breathing. She did not appear to be struggling, and seeing her this way with another excited him greatly.

As the man trailed his kisses from her breasts to her face, he reached up to touch her hair and the hairpin she had said was a gift from her late father fell to the ground, immediately breaking into pieces. The two of them looked down in dismay at the object and Soma started to cry. The stranger cursed aloud as he clumsily pulled her yukata back over her nudity. Holding his head in his hand as though he’d just remembered himself, he shot past Saizo down the hallway and fled from the restaurant into the night. As he left, Saizo saw the clan seal displayed on his back. It was the five-petaled plum blossom of the Maeda.

 

“Is anyone there?” He heard Soma whisper into the darkness.

 

“Only me,” he replied, emerging from his hiding place. He put his hands up to show that he was not a threat.

 

Soma dropped to her knees and picked up the pieces of her broken hairpin. She clutched them tightly to her chest, tears streaming down her face that left two shining streaks from each eye down to her jawline.

Saizo knelt at her side on the floor. She buried her face in the front of his yukata and he wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking. He gently rubbed her back to try to console her, his fingers tangling in her silken hair.

 

“I-I’m s-so sorry, Saizo!” She exclaimed between sobs. He tightened his arms around her and made soothing noises into her ear.

 

 _As if she could ever have anything to apologize for,_ he thought to himself.

“Now, now,” he said quietly. “It’s not your fault. Are you hurt?” Soma shook her head. “Who was that man? You’ll tell me, won’t you, little lady?”

 

“It… was Inuchiyo,” she admitted, reluctantly; perhaps she thought that Saizo would seek revenge on him. “I didn’t believe it at first, it’s been so long. He was drunk… I didn’t know what to do. I was too afraid to cry out.”

 

“You knew we were nearby,” Saizo reassured her. “I would sooner die than allow any harm to come to you. Did he threaten you?”

 

“N-no. He just walked right in, proud as anything… He barely said hello before… like you saw.”

 

As Soma spoke, Saizo quickly formulated his impression of Inuchiyo. Every detail of the scenario he’d intruded upon spoke loudly of a man trying to take back what he thought was rightfully his. He suspected that Inuchiyo was doing a lot of that during his absence, as well. He was a runaway; but what interested Saizo was what exactly the boy was running from in the first place. Returning to the scene of his modest youth a dignified lord and samurai could be no easy task, to be sure.

Then, a wretched thought crept into his consciousness: that Soma had been sent intentionally to Kai by the Maeda to spy on the Takeda forces. The Maeda were affiliated with the Oda, who were new enemies of Kai as they sought to expand their reach across the land.

Though he’d known Soma’s family for many years, even he had no idea as to lineage of the runaway Inuchiyo. At the time a skinny urchin, he never struck Saizo as someone of nobility. Soma, however, always struck him as someone of integrity. It was the only reason he could let himself fall in love with her; she was a rare person worth trusting. It was possible, however, that she had been used against her own knowledge.

He pondered his hypothesis for a long time while she cried into his chest. When she was finally finished, she looked up at him with her soft eyes and he felt very bad for her. If his hunch was at all correct, she would feel justifiably devastated for having unintentionally betrayed them. Though he swore he’d never get involved in the Takeda’s politics, someone using Soma to get to them was where he had to draw the line.

 

“We shouldn’t stay here, little lady,” he whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Let’s get back to Yugiri before the little lord and his new friend are finished playing.”

 

“I’ll go check on them,” Soma announced as she stood, her sullen expression quickly changing to one of determination. “I want to leave Kyoto as soon as possible.”

 

“I’ll go,” Saizo said, shooting upright. He knew the kinds of games his friend and the fool were really up to, and was already outside before she could reply.

 

He was hoping to bed her again before their long journey, but he anticipated that he would not be made to wait long. The nights they spent together were by far the most satisfying he’d ever had, body and mind; though her ability to satisfy him made her ironically addictive. He was somewhat resentful for having to leave again.

 

He peeked through his crack in the door once again. Keiji was fast asleep and snoring while Yukimura silently and diligently wiped down his own still-naked body with a washcloth. The expression on his face could only be described as one of distress.

Saizo wondered what, if any information he’d managed to acquire would be any more relevant than that which he was able to deduce for himself in Soma’s room; seducing Keiji was only suggested as a half-baked attempt at humour, after all. _Maybe I shouldn’t tell him that,_ he thought.

 

“Yukkin!” He whispered. The young lord cast a disdainful look in his direction and signalled that he would be with him shortly.

 

Yukimura emerged from the structure, slightly more disheveled than usual. He sighed heavily, almost in deliverance, and hoisted his travel bundle over his shoulder. He was clearly as ready to leave Kyoto as Soma was.

 

“I have _a lot_ of questions,” he said finally, his face turning bright red.


	8. Push Comes To Shove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their way back to Kai, Saizo and Yukimura duke it out for Soma's affections. Hattori Hanzo gets a free lesson from the infamous Lover's Guide, and is later approached with an offer he can't refuse.

“After some consideration, little lord, I do not think that what you did with Keiji counts against you,” Soma heard Saizo say to Yukimura the next morning. He was obviously still participating in a previous conversation that she was not privy to.

 

She sat in front of him on their mount as they made their way out of the city just before dawn. He held the reigns, of course; his arms were extended on either side of her, his hands resting casually on her hips. She mindlessly allowed herself to lean back into him before she noticed Yukimura staring at them, awkwardly.

 

“Are you alright, milord?” She asked, meekly. She did not want to appear rude; he was still her superior, after all. “What is Sensei talking about, anyway?”

 

She heard Saizo chuckle quietly to himself as the young lord’s face erupted in a veritable fireworks display of embarrassment.

 

“He is concerned that he may have broken a vow,” Saizo answered for his friend, and the latter shot him a look so venomous that it seemed unnatural on his baby face.

 

Furious, Yukimura suddenly hitched the reigns of his horse and made it trot on ahead. Soma looked back at Saizo for some explanation, and as they rode onward he filled her in about the master’s vow of chastity.

Supposedly to ensure his protection in battle, the superstition that surrounded him was in reality just a ploy to subjugate him to his father’s wishes. He was born to be the best fighter in all of Japan, and existed solely for the art of war. A sensitive fellow from a young age, however, his family feared that his concentration would suffer as the result of becoming romantically involved. He was now past an age when his urges made him doubt the legitimacy of the superstition. Unfortunately, he was not only hopelessly embarrassed by the concept of sexuality, he was completely ignorant on the subject.

 

Soma noticed that his card game with Keiji the night before had been rather lengthy, and much more quiet than she expected from such a rowdy pair. The liberal-minded Keiji liked to flirt with everyone but she never personally witnessed him succeeding in his attempted couplings. She speculated about what in particular he’d done to the poor Lord Yukimura that rattled him so, and found herself blushing at the thought.

 

They had rainy weather as they journeyed back North-East through Nagoya, much to Saizo’s discomfort. They finally stopped to water their horses and stretch their legs, but Yukimura’s silent treatment persisted. The temperamental assassin decided that he was having none of it.

 

“You are a spoiled brat, little lord,” Saizo spat his words like a viper, his face sweaty and pale from his sickness. Such intense heat radiated from him that even Yukimura showed concern between his glares.

 

“Yeah? Well you are a mean, old-“

 

“I’m not old!”

 

Soma stood aside and watched in bewilderment as the two men bickered like a married couple. Before long, much to her horror, they were fully engaged in a sparring match so violent that it quickly drew a small crowd of passersby.

 

“How is the smaller one holding his own so well?” Someone in the audience said, clearly impressed. Everyone made sounds of agreement.

 

“Look at the big guy’s neck!” Another commented. “He is just one giant muscle!”

 

The people gasped when Yukimura finally tackled Saizo to the ground. The latter expelled such a large breath of air from the impact that it turned his face momentarily blue. In a few quick moves, however, he had the young lord twisted up in a full-body lock from which he was seemingly unable to escape. Saizo’s teeth were bared, his red eyes wild with fever. The vein in Yukimura’s neck throbbed as he grunted from his discomfort, completely immobilized until he relented in his struggle.

 

In an attempt to explain away the unruly behaviour of her companions, Soma stepped in front of them as they finished their match. She held out an open kerchief to their audience, who quickly produced money from their pockets and dropped it inside, one by one. The men behind her became quiet as they watched this curiously.

Satisfied, the crowd dispersed after bowing and thanking them for the entertainment. She turned towards the two brutes and showed off their earnings. Both men gaped at her in surprise. Without a word, she dropped the kerchief full of money to the ground and bowed to them before walking away to tend to their horses. She hoped she had made her point.

 

Later that evening, they decided to take refuge at an inn. They were unsurprisingly not the only lodgers, as the route they had chosen was fairly busy with travellers during most of the year. Even so, Yukimura put up a fuss when they were told they would have to share a room, all three of them together.

 

Saizo silently prepared their bedrolls as Yukimura sat stubbornly outside on the patio so as not to intrude upon his friends’ privacy. Though it was unnecessary for him to do so, it made it clear to Soma that what he thought had transpired between herself and his vassal made him very uncomfortable.

 

She recalled the day she saw snow fall over Kasugayama Castle; Yukimura sat near her, drawn in to her by some impulsive swell of courage, only to be thwarted by an intrusive knock. She wondered what would have happened had his confession not been interrupted, and felt guilty for reasons not quite known to her.

She sat quietly by the door and observed his shadow through the paper. He shivered now and again from the chill in the night air, his breath curling around him like the crimson head tie he donned into battle. Fearsome though he appeared at times, he was in many ways still so much a child; stubborn, and in desperate need of attention.

 

Saizo heaved an exasperated sigh before throwing open the sliding door, causing the young lord to nearly jump out of his skin.

 

“Come on, dear,” he directed as he reached out to assist a confused Yukimura to his feet. “You owe me a drink, yes? I won fair and square.”

 

“We can’t just leave a woman here alone-“

 

“You’ll be alright for a time, right little lady?” Saizo interrupted. He looked at her expectantly, as though he anticipated her approval.

 

“Oh, don’t worry about me,” she said, knowing Saizo had his reasons. To show that she was serious, she flashed them the small kunai he’d given her earlier for protection, along with a cheeky grin.

 

Saizo couldn’t help but smile back at her; especially when he heard Yukimura gasp audibly from behind him. Soma’s daring and quick wit had become a most ready source of entertainment.

He felt somewhat embarrassed for his and the young lord’s behaviour earlier that afternoon, but knew she would forgive him. He never felt quite like himself when he was ill, anyway. Yukimura, on the other hand, was simply suffering from a hard bout of jealousy; and there was sadly no remedy for either man’s ailment but a drink.

 

After they left the room, they walked together in silence to the dining area. A large fire burned in the hearth and they sat near it, acquiring a jug of sake from one of the attendants. The innkeeper kept the sake in the cellar, where it was cool. Saizo felt the condensation build on the sides of his cup and decided to wait to drink until it became a temperature he preferred. Yukimura, however, downed his own cup in one go and immediately gestured for a refill. Saizo reluctantly obliged him. The young lord was clearly preparing himself for answers neither was sure he really wanted.

 

“Do you love her?” He finally asked before dramatically slinging his second round down his throat. He quickly became so overwhelmed with emotion that Saizo wondered if he might start to wail like a widow at any moment.

 

“Let’s go look at the moon, hm?” He suggested, and made to leave. He went to grab the jug of sake from the floor but Yukimura snatched it up before he could do so.

 

The moon hovered over them, glowing white with fullness. It appeared so large in the sky that one might have thought to reach out and try to touch it. Saizo knew that people sometimes did crazy things on nights like these, apparently driven by some unseen lunar force. He wasn’t sure if he believed that, but had been feeling strange of late. He felt as if he was growing from the inside, shedding his former self, like a butterfly would its cocoon.

He did not like to see the young lord in pain. He was originally brought to Ueda to teach Yukimura to be battle-ready, not to become his companion; however he knew how lonely the man really was, in spite of being considered a figure of such high esteem among his peers. He had, over time, become much like a brother to him.

 _Perhaps I am getting soft,_ he thought to himself as he recalled how Fuma Kotaro had taunted him during their last fight.

 

They found a comfortable place to sit in the stables, the bright orb of light peering in at them as they huddled together in the warm straw with their jug. The horses nickered and snorted at being disturbed but the quiet soon set in again until all that could be heard was the steady hum of night insects.

 

“Do you love Soma?” Yukimura repeated, not letting a change of scenery divert the topic of their much-needed conversation. He looked agitated, unsure of what to do with himself.

 

“I do,” Saizo admitted, then held up his finger to quiet his friend before he had the chance to comment. “But I love you just as well, Genjirou.”

 

Yukimura spontaneously leaned in and placed a kiss on Saizo’s lips. It was almost chaste in its sincerity, closed-mouthed and long. Though it startled him at first, the assassin soon relaxed and even closed his eyes.

He allowed the kiss to deepen; Keiji had apparently taught the young lord a thing or two. He didn’t know the motivation behind his friend’s presumptuous gesture; curiosity, perhaps. It’s what he told himself, at least, as memories of the two of them together flooded his mind.

Yukimura was his constant counterpart, and his most trusted ally. He barely cared to remember what his life was like without him in it. They had become close in the past, having huddled together for warmth during battle campaigns on more than one occasion. The young man’s presence always brought an aspect of comfort and safety to him in times of chaos. He supposed these times were no exception.

 

Yukimura whimpered softly, a strange sound for a man his size to make, and brought his hand up to his chest near his heart. Saizo placed his own hand atop it and squeezed it gently as they embraced. His other hand found his hair, which he carefully groomed away from his face.

 _Such a messy thing you are…_ He thought.

The young lord’s heart was beating fast as Saizo felt his pulse through his skin. He couldn’t remember when, if ever, he had held another man’s hand in this way. Yukimura’s was rough, and quite a bit larger than his own. When he peered down at them he thought his looked feminine by comparison, and pondered the real reason the people who were watching them fight earlier were so entertained.

Yukimura, although never resentful for losing to a man much smaller than himself, always lost to him when they sparred. That afternoon, however, Saizo thought for a moment that he’d finally been bested. Yukimura must have been very angry with him.

 

At the risk of angering him further, Saizo pulled away and dared, “Did you enjoy your night with Keiji that much, dear?”

 

Yukimura narrowed his eyes at him before taking a long draw from their jug of sake. Saizo watched the lump in his throat bob rhythmically as he downed several swallows. He grimaced and pulled the vessel away from his friend with an impetuous _‘tsk’_. Yukimura’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

 

“Yes, I did,” he said, and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. He blushed and looked away. “It felt… _nice_ to be touched like that. And to hear you say that you love me…”

 

“It does feel nice,” Saizo agreed, pleased that the young lord had at least learned that much. “Men and women really aren’t so different, are they?”

 

“How do you mean?”

 

“Well, Soma also craves these things,” he continued to explain, excitedly recalling the woman’s responsiveness to the drunk man in her bedroom. She enjoyed his hands on her; her hard nipples and gaping mouth told him so. “She desires and wants to be desired in return. She also finds pleasure by her own hand when it can’t be found elsewhere.”

 

“I thought only men did that,” Yukimura contested, giving Saizo a strange look. The latter could not help but chuckle at his friend’s ignorance.

 

“You really didn’t read my book, did you?” He teased.

 

“Don’t be a bastard…” Yukimura muttered, his face turning sour. Saizo exposed his pointed teeth as a sly grin stretched across his lips.

 

“Would you have me _show_ you how to give her the things she craves?” He asked.

 

The younger man stared at him for a moment, lolling his tongue around in his mouth. He was visibly caught in a battle with himself, actually considering Saizo’s offer. He was so vehemently opposed to the idea of the assassin being with her not hours before.

 

“Why would you do that?” He asked, finally.

 

“Because,” Saizo answered quickly, surprised and somewhat irritated that it was not obvious, “Who will be there for her when I can’t be?”

 

“Hold on a minute,” Yukimura said, suddenly looking very concerned. “What are you talking about? What’s going to happen to you?”

 

“Don’t be foolish,” Saizo replied as he looked out towards the dark forest. He already sensed Hattori Hanzo on his heels again with some new errand. “As it stands I am sometimes gone for weeks at a time.”

 

“Then why even bother with this tryst?” Yukimura protested, his agitation growing until his friend seduced him with one of his calming looks.

 

“Because I want her, Genjirou,” he said quietly. “I think you do, too. That’s the real reason you came for her, isn’t it?”

 

“It is,” Yukimura admitted, lowering his eyes. He couldn’t lie to someone who knew things about him before even he did.

 

“That’s the man I trained you to be,” Saizo said with a smile. The young lord sneered unintentionally, failing to mirror his sensei’s joy due to his internal conflict.

 

“It was hard to bend the truth the way I did to get her back,” he lamented. “And I can’t even give her the things you can… The _things she craves_ , or whatnot.”

 

Saizo scoffed. He doubted that Yukimura’s inexperience would pose much of a problem to a sensuous woman like Soma. She’d actually read his book, at least.

 

“Who will judge you?” He offered. “You are the great Lord Sanada Yukimura.”

 

“I know who I am…” It was his turn to scoff. “I just don’t want her to think I’m a _complete idiot_.”

 

Saizo shrugged and grinned sheepishly, a gesture that prompted the young lord to break his serious demeanour for a moment and jab him jokingly in the arm.

 

“Does Soma know that you’re basically telling me to be your stand-in?” He asked as he pointed his finger at the man, scoldingly. He knew to be wary of the shinobi’s ambiguous and manipulative nature.

 

“It’s not like that,” Saizo corrected him, looking him right in the eye. “She is her own woman… No one’s possession, but her own. Yes?”

 

“Well said, old friend,” Yukimura said with a nod.

 

He took another draw from the jug he’d managed to recapture and looked out pensively into the night. He was aware that he wasn’t the most cultivated man, mentally, and he struggled a bit at first to make sense of Saizo’s proposition. The arrangement between them that he was suggesting, even among nobility, was a potentially scandalous one; but he wanted her. If she would have him, he was willing to share her affections with his friend. Nobody had to know.

 

“What does it feel like to be with her?” He inquired after a time. Saizo’s ears perked up like a fox.

 

“ _Be with her_?” He repeated, hotly. Yukimura narrowed his eyes at him once again.

 

“I mean how does it feel to hold her? In the night. You know… like a cuddle.”

 

Saizo smiled at him like he was looking at an adorable puppy. It was the look he gave him every time he was _being too sweet for his own good_.

 

Soma awoke much later that evening when she felt a warm body climb into the bed behind her. A strong hand carefully settled on her ribcage just beneath her breast. The smell of sake drifted past her nose. She peered into the darkness through squinted eyes just as Saizo slipped into the bed in front of her. He had a hint of mischief in his expression.

Realizing that Saizo was not the one holding her, she tensed her body, impulsively. The hand pulled away quickly in reaction, but Saizo gave a _‘tsk’_ and the hand returned. She slowly turned over onto her back to greet her other bedmate and a handsome set of turquoise eyes hovered near her in the dark.

 

“Saizo says you’re- _hic!_ \- really nice to sleep with,” Yukimura managed, his speech slurred from the alcohol. She knew that he wouldn’t be there had he not had a drink or eleven.

 

He looked at her, bashfully, as he rested his head on his up-stretched arm. His other hand occupied a large portion of her torso, his palm alone more than half its diameter. It just remained still in the same place somewhat awkwardly, as though it had not planned its next move whatsoever.

 

“Milord?” Soma whimpered, confused and still not quite half-awake.

 

“She’s soft and warm,” Saizo whispered as he brought his face close to hers and kissed her cheek. “She will make you sleep like a baby.”

 

He rolled her gently towards the young lord, who took her into his embrace. Too exhausted to protest, she relaxed her weight onto him, and felt Saizo sidling up close behind her so that she was trapped between them. Both men immediately fell asleep. Swaddled in a pile of hot limbs, Soma was not far behind them.

 

Squares of muted sunlight bathed the bed the next morning through the shoji, and Yukimura awoke with a terrible headache. Regretting how much he’d drank the night before, it took him a few moments to assess his surroundings. He started to remember his conversation with Saizo when he felt something supple shift its weight in his arms.

He quickly looked down and saw the lovely Soma there, still asleep, draped lazily over his body. She was only half-covered by her sleeping robe. He noticed that one of her breasts was exposed, and he started to silently panic.

 

“Shh,” Saizo whispered from where he lounged next to them. “She is so sweet when she is sleeping.”

 

With a sly grin he reached over to gingerly pinch the fabric of her robe between his fingers. The young lord watched as he pulled even more of the garment away to show him the seductive curve of her backside. He became suddenly aware of the heat between her legs, mashed against his upper thigh. He felt a stir in his own loins, and his arousal became obvious as it tented his clothing.

Soma shivered from the cold and writhed her body against his, sending a wave of stimulation through him that made him shiver sympathetically. Still, she remained sleeping.

Saizo casually cupped her breast and tugged at the nipple gently until she involuntarily ground her loins once again into the young lord’s thigh. Yukimura’s erection strained uncomfortably against his fundoshi, making him grit his teeth. Saizo paused for a moment to enjoy his expression before looking over the woman’s body to see for himself what his young friend was seeing for the very first time.

Tanned in some places and milky in others, she was unpolished and wild; a real woman. She loved the outdoors and Saizo couldn’t wait until he could see the summer sunshine’s kiss on every inch of her body. The hairs on her mound peeked from between her legs sporadically when she moved. The gully of her lower back sloped elegantly to the firm rounds of her buttocks, where two dimples lived, one above each cheek. One of her strong legs curled flirtatiously around Yukimura’s while her little hand absently caressed his chiseled torso. As she stirred, she nestled her face into his chest, and he expelled a quiet moan out of the sheer pleasure of their closeness.

 

“Mm, Saizo…” She sighed, and stretched her arms over her head as she slowly awoke.

 

“Er, not quite…” Yukimura admitted, bashfully.

 

Saizo watched silently as Soma became aware of her position atop the young lord, as well as her state of undress. Not one to be disagreeable, she just blushed as she slid off of him and timidly closed her garment back around herself. Yukimura appeared absolutely stunned. It was a vast improvement to the usual escape tactics he used whenever women were present.

 

“Oh, milord…” She said, trying to avoid staring at his sizeable bulge. “I’m not sure how I ended up this way…”

 

“By the gods, you are beautiful…” The young man blurted out.

 

Soma’s blush deepened. Saizo smiled at them and slid close behind her. He began to kiss and nip at one of her sensitive earlobes, gently trying to pry open her sleeping robe once again as she held it closed. Her eyes never left Yukimura’s, even while she tried to shrug off Saizo’s advances.

The shinobi would not be dissuaded, chuckling lowly to himself as he pawed at her like a cat with its hunting prize. He wrapped his arms around her and cradled one of her breasts in his hand. The other hand slid downward to the spot between her legs.

Soma laughed, awkwardly, and tried to thwart him by squeezing her legs together. Saizo, however, nudged his knee between them from behind, forcing them to remain open to his ministrations. In trying to push his hand away, she abandoned her hold on her robe, and her front became exposed entirely to Yukimura. The young lord’s mouth immediately fell open like his heart was about to jump out of it.

 

“She _is_ fucking beautiful…” Saizo growled as he kneaded her flesh with his greedy hands, biting at her neck until it glowed pink from being assaulted by his pointed teeth.

 

Soma did not seem to mind, however; so enthralled by Saizo’s massage was she that, even though it was clear that she was trying to hide her pleasure, nothing could be done about the absolutely sinful expression on her face.

 

 _You truly are a devil, Saizo…_ Hattori Hanzo cursed him from his hiding place in the closet, squeezing his involuntary erection through his hakama in an attempt to subdue it.

Seeking an opportunity to speak to Saizo in private regarding some new orders from Iga, Hanzo was backed into his unfortunate situation the night before. He was nearly spotted by Soma as she went to change into her sleeping robe. Not wanting to frighten her, he impulsively hid himself in the closet. The door somehow locked and he could do nothing at the risk of revealing himself. The worst part was that the wily Saizo knew he was stuck in there and was toying with him all night long.

 

 _Does he_ want _me to watch this…?_ He cringed internally.

Soma was indeed very beautiful, but at this point it was clear that Saizo was outright taking advantage of his new lover’s eagerness to please him. She was a good-hearted young woman, and Hanzo found himself starting to feel slightly protective over her, as well as a little envious of his cohort.

Being Saizo’s arms and legs came with an inherent privilege of information about his private life. What Hanzo discovered about Soma revealed a charming girl; talented and brave. A person of her quality deserved a more emotionally-balanced partner. He doubted the young lord Yukimura fulfilled that description, either, as he watched him quake with nervousness.

 

“I hope you’re paying attention to this,” Saizo grunted, perhaps in answer to Hanzo’s question. Yukimura must have clued in by now that Saizo’s live demonstration of the Lover’s Guide had already begun, just as promised in the stables the night before.

 

The assassin hoisted himself up to his knees and, taking Soma with him, spread her legs wide as if putting her on display for both men to see. His hands found her pleasure spot and held it open to reveal a quivering tunnel, tight and clearly aroused. Soma could do nothing but cover her face with her own hands out of embarrassment. He proceeded to rub the slick folds of her vulva until they became swollen and pink, and she stifled a cry. Her thighs shook underneath her but he continued to support her from behind in a tight embrace.

Switching to a seated position, he pulled her knees back and splayed her hips to completely expose her vulva and her ass. He brought one hand up to lower hers from her face, while the other gently pet the burning heat between her legs. He kissed her, forcing her mouth open to accept his tongue. Their mouths still connected, he slicked two fingers with her own juices and slid them inside of her.

Soma jerked her head back in reaction and broke their kiss. A desperate moan escaped her, guttural and ravenous. Saizo smiled at her and took her lips again with his. He pushed his fingers deeper, then withdrew them slowly. He did this many times until Soma’s hips roiled in pleasure, seeking out his stimulation of their own volition.

He increased the pace until his hand appeared to blur with its efficacy of motion. Soma’s eyes suddenly rolled back and a small amount of fluid spilled from where Saizo’s fingers were lodged. He slowed gradually, and finally withdrew his digits while she shook in his arms from what must have been an extremely intense orgasm. Both of her holes winked reactively in unison, a sight that was completely erotic in its explicitness.

 

Hanzo’s breath hitched in his throat. Tried though he did, he could not tear his eyes away from her sexy body; they even became sore from staying open and focused for too long. He did take a moment to glance over at Yukimura, who was practically chewing the back of his hand from anxiety. He imagined the young man had likely released by no doing of his own at least once or twice. He almost did.

 _She is so cute… Damn that Saizo!_ He thought to himself.

 

Suddenly, there came a light knock at the door. Everyone immediately froze and looked at it in horror; all except for Saizo, who continued to kiss and caress Soma quietly with a slightly animalistic sheen to his red eyes.

 

“There is some tea just outside here,” the innkeeper’s voice bellowed in a friendly, albeit slightly probing manner. “I trust you’ve had a pleasant stay.”

 

After a few moments, Hanzo heard the man shuffle away. Yukimura and Soma looked at each other with an odd familiarity that the shinobi could not decipher. She bit her lower lip and turned her gaze down to the floor.

 

“I’m… Sorry, milord,” she said, timidly. Saizo stopped what he was doing to scoff at her apology.

 

“N-no!” Yukimura immediately corrected her. He seemed strangely calm now, considering the circumstances. “You are both… So important to me. Thank you for sharing your bodies with me.”

 

There was a silent pause, then Saizo wrapped Soma’s garment back around her and hugged her from behind. She looked back at him and touched her forehead to his. He smiled and closed his eyes, taking time to enjoy the moment before he pulled away to rest his chin on her shoulder.

 

“Let’s get out of here,” he said to his young master.

 

He made sure to linger behind after Soma and Yukimura went to ready the horses. Once he was satisfied that no one was nearby, he casually approached the closet door and unlocked it. Hanzo came spilling out in an embarrassingly ungraceful manner, gulping for fresh air after being trapped in such a small space for half the night. Still somewhat out of breath, he shot upright and glared at Saizo with an intensity that raised the assassin’s eyebrows.

 

“You are such an _asshole_!” He growled at him. Saizo’s mouth curled into one of his evil sneers.

 

“Thank you, Master Kiyohiro,” he replied. “Or whatever it is you’re calling yourself these days.” He held a hand out with his palm upright.

 

Hanzo thought very seriously about spitting into it, but instead reached into a fold of his clothing and pulled out Saizo’s orders from the Iga village. Saizo snatched the letter from his grasp and spun around to read it privately. His shoulders slumped. He then became somewhat enraged, crumpled the letter, and shoved it into his belt before promptly storming out of the room.

 

“Always a pleasure!” Hanzo trilled after him, sardonically. He never understood his rival’s capricious nature; he respected him, but they were vastly different men.

 

He decided that he would gather some supplies while still in the village, and during his errand he was approached by a young man asking questions about the party of travellers who were on their way to Kai. Agreeing to meet him for a drink so they could discuss things in private, he was then offered a large sum of money to follow the young woman, specifically.

 

“She’ll get tired of samurai, eventually,” the stranger said with a snort, as though Hanzo should be able to relate to what he was saying. He could. “She was never really into the whole tough guy thing, you know… I just want to make sure she’s okay until I can convince her to go back home where she belongs. I promised her father I’d keep her safe, and now that she’s grown… Well, it’s getting harder to keep my promise.”

 

The man had a hint of resentment in his voice as he fingered the handwoven pommel grip of his katana. His focus drifted to the curious item often during their conversation. Though it would have been considered decorative at some point, it was worn out and badly needed to be replaced. The fact that he hadn’t done this meant that it was a gift from someone special; perhaps from Soma herself. Nothing would have surprised Hanzo about her at this point. Her luck, if that’s what one could call it, had been uncanny thus far.

He considered simply taking the fool’s money and returning to Iga; the woman in question was in the care of both a shinobi and a Sanada lord, and it was unlikely she would come to any real harm. He realized that this benefactor must be very important to be able to afford a small fortune to pay someone to simply follow a common woman around. He decided to ask more questions about who the man was and what he wanted with Soma, and he was not disappointed when he told him his story.

He accepted the task, even though there were other things he could be doing with his time. He was forced to admit his glee to himself later, however; while up in a tree, trying to nap, his mind kept going back to his view from the closet at the inn. The perfumed goddess splayed before him occupied his dreams until his very last moments of sleep.


	9. A Hard Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Yukimura plans to act on his infatuation in Saizo's absence, with painful results. Lord Shingen's bodyguard has some devastating advice for a troubled Soma, while an impending diplomatic visit spins the castle into chaos.

As Spring continued to timidly unfold at Tsutsujigasaki castle, they enjoyed even more blossoming trees, as well as the freshness that came from soft rains. Soma hung rain ghosts along the eaves outside her room out of respect for the absent Saizo, who was still gone on his mission after several days.

She was taken on officially as Yukimura’s attendant, awarding her once again her own private quarters at Takeda Shingen’s estate. She spent her days doing chores around the castle with Sasuke and the other servants, as well as helping in the kitchens and serving the young lord his tea and meals. She had also unofficially become Shingen’s personal cook, due to her outstanding skill at making food the still-convalescing daimyo actually ate. In the evenings, she taught Sasuke some reading and writing, and was impressed with how much the child already knew. Saizo was a good man for not neglecting his lessons. Her father had been the same with her, and she appreciated how rare it was for a commoner to be as literate as she.

Yukimura resumed his rigorous training regimen with the other retainers, but he always made time to ensure that Soma was happy and comfortable. He was friendly as ever to her even though what occurred at the inn lingered in the air ever-presently between them. One evening when she brought him his supper, he asked her if she would be interested in watching the moon with him. It was full in the sky, and quite low. Normally he only did this kind of thing with Saizo, and she was honoured to have been deemed a suitable replacement. Little did she realize, however, that these moon viewings always included a jug of sake.

 

She accepted the vessel that he handed to her cautiously as it was a bit heavy. They sat on the same roof where she had been discovered as a woman, and enjoyed an unobstructed view of a gorgeous, orange moon. She had to try hard not to tip over when she brought the jug up to her lips to take a drink. Yukimura had only gotten a goose egg out of his fall those weeks ago, but she doubted she would have the same luck.

 

“Do you miss him?” Yukimura asked her, abruptly. “Saizo, I mean…”

 

Soma nearly spat out her drink and the young lord deftly put his arms out on either side of her to prevent her from falling over. She recovered and looked over at him, expecting him to be already drunk. He instead appeared oddly introspective, and completely sober. His efforts to be a gentleman were not lost on her as he made sure to keep a respectable distance between them, unlike the last time they were up here.

 

“Do _you_?” She retorted. The words had simply tumbled out. He blinked, not expecting his question to be turned around on him so easily.

 

“Yes,” he replied, his face reddening.

 

Choosing not to answer him, she instead turned away and leaned backwards into his arms. He closed them around her, stiffly at first, before succumbing to the comfort of her closeness. His embrace felt much more natural than she thought it would, but it was very different from Saizo’s. Yukimura was larger than the assassin, and several inches taller. When he folded his body over her, he did just that; she could take shelter in his arms, quite literally.

 

“You should know, Soma…” He whispered into her ear, audibly struggling to find the right words. She was aware that the shy lord was not half the wordsmith Saizo was. “We will always protect you, no matter what.”

 

“I suppose I should learn to get used to that,” she replied, as she pondered his words. She took another drink before he snatched it back from her and indulged in it himself. “Hey!”

 

“Sharing is caring!” He teased, playing keep-away with her, and they laughed together.

 

“Oh! I have something for you…”

 

She reached into one of her sleeves and produced a small bundle. Yukimura exchanged the jug of sake with her and opened his present eagerly. It was difficult to obtain some of the ingredients, but she wanted to treat the young lord as thanks for his kindness towards her family. He had paid them a month’s rent for their guest house, despite having only stayed a day.

 

“Darnits!” He exclaimed. She giggled.

 

“ _Donuts_.”

 

“Well, whatever,” he shrugged, and immediately stuffed one of the confections into his mouth. “These are the best! Thank you!”

 

“You’re very welcome, milord,” she replied, and reached up to wipe some sugar from his handsome face. She watched his eyes close momentarily when she touched him, and he bit his lower lip.

 

“Would you consider… Spending the night with me?” He asked. Soma was surprised by his forwardness as he looked at her, longingly. It wasn’t long ago that being so close to her had been enough to cause him to fall off the same roof. She nodded, and his reaction was nothing short of elated.

 

They agreed to both take different routes on their way to her quarters. Though it was really nobody’s business what they were up to, it was just easier than to have to explain away their behaviour to anyone they might run into.

Not long after her door was closed and she was alone, Soma saw a shadow moving about outside on the verandah. The door slid open and in stepped the tall Yukimura with his jug of sake still in tow. He raised a finger to his lips and smiled as he quietly slid the door closed and approached her.

They stood silently in front of each other for a moment. Soma couldn’t help but be impressed by the young lord’s resolve, having wondered on her journey to her room if he would actually show up.

She began to undress herself and his eyes eagerly watched her every movement. She stopped when she got down to her juban, and looked up at him with a shy smile. He coughed and took a swig from his jug as he tried hard to remain composed.

 

“You, too, milord,” she directed.

 

“Call me Yukimura,” he said, more resistant than usual to formality. He set down the vessel of alcohol on the floor and got to work on his own clothes.

 

She looked over his body as he stood before her in nothing but his fundoshi. His broad shoulders rippled with muscle and his skin was marred with battle scars, revealing the difference between his and Saizo’s finesse as warriors. Yukimura dove head-on into the danger that Saizo danced around like the wily fox spirit he was. She knew that every scar told a story, and that each was penned into him with the intent to kill. The young warrior was a walking tome of bravery and pain.

Her eyes ventured downward, over the bronze skin of his chiseled abdomen, to his undergarment. She reasoned that what he carried therein was appropriately scaled to his massive size, and she became slightly intimidated.

 

Realizing what Soma was looking at, Yukimura anxiously grazed his big hand through his hair in his telling way, already aware that he was larger there than some other men. Saizo had told him when he asked about it that only foolish men equated their size with the level of pleasure they could give a woman. He didn’t really understand what he meant by that, but he hoped that Soma found his body to her satisfaction. He desperately wanted to satisfy her the way Saizo seemed to be able to.

He began to gravitate towards her like a magnet. She met him half-way, and they held each other for several moments while he inhaled the sweet smell of her hair. The mysteriously seductive scent was the same as it was when he tried to spar with her months ago in the courtyard. Saizo was right as always; the body would know to take over when attraction was present. Soma, whether male or female, had a hold over Yukimura’s senses like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Any shyness drifted away as he began to caress her body, until it was as though it had never been there at all.

 

“I was afraid...” He said. “If I ever got you like this someday…”

 

Soma pulled away and looked up at him through her long eyelashes. His heart skipped a beat. She was turned on and barely dressed, just for him. She was too much for him; he was no match for her curves and her smell. She made him want to do things to her he wasn’t sure there were even names for.

 

“What are you holding back, Yukimura?” She asked, her voice heavy.

 

Without a word, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently and kissed her, her hot mouth melting into his until they were forced to separate from breathlessness. He remembered what he might like to do to her first, and trailed his tongue across her face and down her neck. Her skin tasted sweet. She made him salivate like a dog.

 _I don’t want to hurt you…_ He thought, aware of his own brute strength, and the ferocity of his pent-up lust.  
He couldn’t believe how different she was in these circumstances, however. It was as though Saizo had awoken some kind of demon within her, set on corrupting all those around her. Neither of them could be blamed, he supposed, for the naturally seductive sparkle in her dark eyes, nor for the sensuous curve of her bosom as it pressed against him when they embraced. She could never be blamed for her caring nature and gentle touch. She had enough love in her to feed the whole world, as far as the two men were concerned.

 

He fumbled his fingers over the ties of her juban. The garment fell open to expose her breasts and his breath hitched in his throat at the sight of them. He remembered how they heaved against him while she slept, and how they moved erotically with Saizo’s massage. He took one of them into his mouth with enthusiasm.

She whimpered and threw her head back. Her fingers entwined in his hair, pulling on it forcefully. He gently bit down on her nipple in reaction to her unintentional brutality. They both moaned. He sucked on the fleshy mound noisily, his tongue lashing over the aureola as she squirmed underneath him.

She suddenly flipped him over so that she straddled him, and her breast came out of his mouth with an audible pop. The young lord surrendered willingly to her show of dominance. She tossed her juban aside and sat astride his pelvis, now completely naked and practically shaking with arousal. He lunged his hips upwards into her, instinctively. She smiled at him, an evil thing that told him she knew something he did not, and leaned in to kiss him once again.

He trailed his hands over her back and her hips, squeezing the soft flesh as they embraced. Her kiss quickly became intense and desperate, striving towards an end he could not foresee. It was then that he realized she must have been withholding feelings for him, as well. The premise made his erection throb even harder against the place between her legs, and he noted what a strange thing it was that his emotions should have such an effect on his body.

 _Oh, no… If she keeps this up…!_ He did not want to repeat the accidental expulsion of semen he’d experienced as the result of Saizo’s demonstration.

 

“Soma… Slow down,” he grunted between her kisses. “I’m already… So hard…”

 

“Show me,” She whispered hotly, trailing her lips down his neck to his chest, and beyond.

 

She lowered herself so that she knelt between his legs and kissed along the muscular jutting of his hips just above where his loincloth began. Her hands trailed along his flesh in a manner so sweet and gentle that he thought he might ejaculate from that alone. He knew that he was not nearly half as drunk as he figured he needed to be for this encounter, the alcohol he had ingested not at all enough to be able to dull his senses, which seemed even more acute than usual.

He watched her unwrap his fundoshi, her little hands making short work of the garment. She peered down at his prick for the first time with disbelieving eyes. It twitched and bounced excitedly in front of her, and nearly hit her in the face once or twice; she was so close, in fact, that he could feel her breath on it. He moaned and brought his fist up to his own face, biting his knuckle in an attempt to silence himself.

She wrapped both hands around his length and squeezed it gently. The head of it swelled, becoming engorged and discoloured. He choked back a small cry, the sensation of her touch on his point of arousal much more intense than when he took care of it himself in private. He was already aware that at least half of his physical reaction was purely mental; his excitement was not simply the result of being touched, but that he was being touched by _her_.

Suddenly she was straddled over him in horse stance, her opening just inches away from the pinnacle of his length. His heart beat so fast in his chest he thought he might die from it. The crowning moment when he would finally reach manhood approached, swift as an arrow. His mind roiled, simultaneously anxious and jubilant. He could do nothing but moan into his clenched fist.

The bulging head of his prick was poised at the gateway of her femininity. They made contact, and she lowered herself onto him slowly. Yukimura immediately felt how tight she was, and grit his teeth from the unbelievable sensation.

She suddenly froze and an expression of pain unfolded on her pretty face. His eyes trailed down to where they were connected; her hole was opened as far as it was willing to go, unable to accommodate him any further. Unbelievably, he was just barely inserted.

 _By the gods, I’ve broken her!_ He thought as he started to panic.

 

“Are you alright?” He asked.

 

The inside of her burned, and the pain radiated outward, until she felt like she might faint from it. She felt his big hands grab hold of her hips to support her weight for her while she regained her bearings. She was reminded of when he insisted on carrying her home from the battlefield that day, despite his more severe injury. She wanted to be brave for him in this moment, but her body would simply not allow him passage. No matter how hard she tried to relax for him, she could not; and the less her tactic was working, the more nervous she became.

 

“I… Don’t think it’s going to fit,” she managed. “I’m sorry…”

 

She felt tears well up inside her. She feared that he would be angry with her, but she underestimated the big-hearted lord. Without a word he picked her up and placed her once again on her back beneath him, having withdrawn himself to prevent any more trauma to her body. He held her lovingly in his arms, and the pain gradually subsided.

 

“ _I’m_ sorry,” He whispered near her ear before he lowered one of his hands to the junction between her thighs. “I knew I wasn’t doing this right.”

 

Saizo’s lesson had replayed itself in Yukimura’s mind over and over since it occurred; the look of uninhibited passion on Soma’s face was ever-present, even though the assassin remained completely clothed the entire time. The experience’s success relied solely on Soma’s pleasure. Perhaps Saizo’s pleasure was in turn derived from hers. Was that the trick to mastering his Lover’s Guide?

Amazed that he was able to formulate this hypothesis on his own, the young lord kissed her lips with renewed vigour; gentle, yet purposeful. She whimpered like a little bird. The soft flesh of her mound relented to his touch, like one of the doughy sweets he so enjoyed. Unsure if his large hands were the most graceful tools for such a delicate task, he extended his index and middle fingers and drew them carefully over her slick opening. To his relief, she was willing to continue their fun, despite his previous foible. He did suspect, watching how she tightened so beautifully around Saizo’s fingers, that their coupling might in the end prove troublesome.

He found the place Saizo showed him: the cluster of nerves at the apex of her slit that hid itself so coyly, like a little pheasant in a bush. He made sure that his fingers were nice and wet with her, and traced them in a circular motion over it. She uttered a cry that he silenced with his own mouth, and his prick throbbed sympathetically with her expressions of pleasure.

The dull ache within him only grew while he continued to toy with her. As he fondled her excited, swollen flesh, his hips instinctively wanted to move on their own. He got an idea: if Soma could be stimulated this way with his fingers, she could also be stimulated by other things.

He rolled her onto her side and pressed up closely behind her as he’d watched Saizo do at the inn; only instead of forcing his knee between her legs he used his prick. It fit perfectly into the nook just underneath her round ass. Wrapped tightly in between her legs, it slid deliciously against her heat, and the head poked out the other side. He began to rock his hips gently back and forth, and was pleased that his method simulated the closeness of intercourse without the need for penetration.

 

“Is this alright?” He whispered, his voice husky from his excitement.

 

She grabbed his arms and wrapped them around herself. He took her hands in his and pulled her in even tighter. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply, revelling in her bewitching aroma.

 

“Mm… That feels good!”

 

He heard her sigh and moan as he continued to pump himself between her legs. She was so wet that his length slid between them easily. It was not long before he had to slow down; pushing against her voluptuous bottom like this had been an ongoing fantasy he was only too happy to reenact.

He felt her hand leave his and venture downward to where the tip of his prick was poking through. She grabbed hold of it and guided it upwards to better massage the places she wanted, all the while stroking it gently. She shivered with pleasure. It sent him tumbling over the edge, and he expelled his seed across the bedding in front of them with a muffled cry.

Her hand didn’t leave his prick, and the latter did not seem to lose its tenacity, either. Squeezing and stroking the head of it, she continued to rock her body against him. He winced from the intensity of her ministration, but he would not stop her until she was done with him. He did not want to stop her at all once the overwhelming sensation in his loins subsided and his pleasure resumed. Soon enough, he was on the verge of another orgasm.

 

“I can’t hold it back, Soma…” He grunted. Her massage only intensified, as did her breathing.

 

“Together… Yukimura…”

 

Her words echoed in his mind. He impulsively grasped one of her breasts and fondled it ruthlessly. She turned her face to the futon and let out an exquisite scream, shaking violently against him. Her slit pulsated on his aching member, and he felt her become even wetter until it practically gushed around him. His eyes rolled back in his head and he growled into the flesh of her shoulder that was salted with sweat.

He ejaculated, somehow much more intensely than before. He had never done it twice in a row before, and the sensation vibrated throughout his entire body, causing every pore to feel like it was on fire.

 

They remained in their positions for a long time, nuzzling and touching each other sweetly. They were almost giddy over what had just transpired between them. Soma understood that this was what Saizo wanted, and she supposed that made it alright; but she wondered if it was really possible to be more than one man’s woman.

 

“Am… I worth loving?” He asked, suddenly.

 

Soma blinked, taken slightly aback. It was an odd question, but he was within his rights to ask it of a woman he was being intimate with. She turned around to face him.

 _It’s true, isn’t it…_ She thought to herself as she stared into his deep, sea-green eyes. _You are just a cute, little boy, aren’t you?_

 

“ _I love you,_ ” she whispered. 

 

The words drifted from her lips of their own accord, but she did not regret them; especially when she saw how his eyes lit up upon hearing them. He drew her in to a soft kiss, excruciating in its sweetness. She watched as a single tear slid down his face. She wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers through his adorably messy hair.

He trailed kisses from her mouth down to her collarbone and rested his head on her chest. She held him there like he was a child, and realized that Saizo must be just as concerned about Yukimura’s safety and comfort in his absence as he was hers to encourage them to be together like this.

 

“Can I stay here with you?” He asked, his mouth stretching open in a yawn. It reminded her of Sasuke when he stayed up past his bedtime, and she couldn’t help but giggle.

 

“Of course, milord,” she replied. He nuzzled his face into her chest before settling back down again.

 

“Call me Yukimura,” he said with a sigh; a dreamy, wistful thing that carried her to sleep.

 

She awoke the next morning alone in the bed. When she heard the retainers in the courtyard shouting as they performed their katas, she realized that Yukimura had risen early for his training. She saw something shiny out of the corner of her eye, and to her surprise there was a set of silver bangles in his place on the futon, one enamelled in turquoise and the other in red. She understood the sentiment behind the gift immediately; red was the colour of the Sanada banner, and the turquoise was the same colour as his eyes. They were to remind her of him. There was a note beneath them. In the messiest handwriting she had ever seen, it read:

 

_Whether asleep or awake, you are all I think about._

 

She held the note to her chest and fingered the bracelets, thoughtfully. The gift was likely not meant to be a show of possessiveness; however what was a gift, but a claim on someone’s emotions? Even she made people their favourite treats because she revelled in the joy it brought them. Saizo’s dango and Yukimura’s donuts were definitely no exception.

She knew that she would need to be ready to receive tokens from the men around her. It was just how people showed their affections, she supposed; but neither Saizo nor Yukimura were her boyfriend. She didn’t know what they were.

She admired how the silver rings dangled so fancifully from her wrist, glittering in the soft light of the morning. She removed them before she dressed herself, however, not wanting to accidentally damage them while she did her chores. She placed them in the same box that contained her broken hairpin for safekeeping, and began her routine.

 

She and Sasuke were hanging laundry outside to dry when she noticed that he was being unusually silent. He was normally very talkative and opinionated for someone his age, as he scrutinized the behaviour of the _so-called adults_ around him almost constantly. As they worked together, he appeared lost in thought. It was a strange expression to see on the face of someone so young.

 

“Are you alright, Sasuke?” Soma inquired, making a silly face at him from behind a blanket she was hanging on the line, in an attempt to make him smile. He did smile at her, albeit briefly, before returning to his mile-long stare.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

“What are you thinking about?” She asked, pretending to pout. He picked up another piece of laundry and hung it up between himself and the woman.

 

“I can’t tell you,” he replied from behind the item. “It’s embarrassing.”

 

Soma’s first impulse was to tease him, assuming he was daydreaming about getting his hands on some more of the snacks she’d made; but his strange behaviour definitely indicated that whatever was on his mind was a little more serious.

 

“I see…” She said, disappointed that he wouldn’t share his secret with her. She thought they were good friends by now. “Well, let me know if I can help you with anything, okay?”

 

“Mm,” the boy grunted. Soma was unable to tell if it was an affirmation or not.

 

When they were finished with the laundry, she went to the kitchen to make some dango to cheer him up. Sasuke protested that he wasn’t a child anymore and could not be plied with sweets, but he nevertheless insisted on helping her with her task.

As he stood near her and poured the rice flour into the tofu while she mixed it, she observed him, curiously. The boy looked stoic, his eyes far away. She wondered if perhaps he was feeling as lost without Saizo around as she was. Her idea to make dango came partly from the hope that Saizo might sense its fabrication from wherever he was and come home to them.

 

“You don’t have to hang around me, doing all this boring stuff,” she said, eventually. He had been her little shadow ever since she returned to Kai. “Why don’t you go train with the others, and I’ll call you when this is ready?”

 

“Don’t be silly,” he said, surprised by her statement. “I _want_ to help you. I get up extra early so I can do both.”

 

“Well, I definitely appreciate it, Sasuke…”

 

They got to work forming the mixture into balls to drop into a pot of water that boiled on the stove. Before they were finished, the young house servant called Umeko burst into the kitchen, looking a little out of sorts.

 

“Soma, thank goodness,” she said, apparently very glad to see her. “Can you please bring Lord Shingen his tea? We are so busy trying to prepare for this visitor, that we-“

 

“Visitor?” Soma and Sasuke interrupted her in unison. They both looked at each other and giggled.

 

“You haven’t heard?!” Umeko exclaimed, astonished that they were so uninformed. Ever the gossip, she explained the news in as much detail as possible, as quickly as possible, until she ran out of breath. “Lord Shingen has courted the Date clan for an alliance. Date Masamune is sending us his most trusted retainer to negotiate. He won’t be arriving for some time, but we have barely even started our spring cleaning! I just don’t have the time to flirt with the daimyo today.”

 

“Wow! The One-Eyed Dragon!” Sasuke exclaimed. “That is a pretty big deal!”

 

“Don’t worry, Umeko,” Soma said, then gestured at the half-finished task she and Sasuke were working on. “But can it wait a few minutes? I’m not finished here quite yet.”

 

“Hey, I got this,” Sasuke offered, confidently. “Just you leave it to me!”

 

“Lord Shingen does like to keep a schedule, so don’t tarry! That reminds me, actually…” Umeko reached into her sleeve and produced a small envelope, which she handed to Soma. “You have to add this to the teapot just before it’s served.”

 

“What is it?” Soma asked, curiously, as she took the envelope and analyzed it.

 

“It’s his medicine,” Umeko explained, then looked towards the exit and shuffled her feet impatiently. “I’m sorry, but I really need to get going! Oh, don’t let him see you add the medicine! See you later!”

 

The young woman sped away onto her next errand, leaving Soma and Sasuke somewhat dumbfounded. Soma gazed down apprehensively at the mysterious envelope in her hand and the boy sidled up to her so that he could also get a closer look.

She opened it and saw that it contained a beige powder that smelled slightly bitter and woody. It did not smell bad, per se, but she sincerely wondered how Lord Shingen would ever be fooled into thinking nothing had been added to his afternoon tea.

 

“That definitely _looks_ like medicine,” Sasuke said as he peered at the contents. Soma assumed he would know something about herbs, being a shinobi’s apprentice. He boldly put his finger to his tongue to wet it before touching it to the powder. He nodded when he tasted it. “Yeah, it’s got ginseng in it, and some other things. The Tiger does have a terrible cough, doesn’t he?”

 

“He does…” Soma agreed. “But why should I have to hide the medicine from him? Doesn’t he want it?”

 

“Lord Shingen is an agreeable man,” came a voice from behind them, “but he is equally as stubborn.”

 

Both of them spun around in surprise, and Sasuke made a look like he was angry with himself for not having sensed the man’s presence before he made it known to them. He was a smallish, lithe man, with strikingly tanned skin and short, dark hair. He wore a plum-coloured kimono with grey hakama; hardly spring colours. His dark eyes were as sobering as his clothing, emotionless like a doll’s. Soma had never seen him before, but Sasuke recognized him instantly.

 

“Kansuke-san,” the boy greeted him, “how did you get so sneaky?”

 

“I _practiced_ ,” he replied, simply. His eyes drifted over Soma’s figure before landing on hers. “Lord Shingen would appreciate your concern for his wellbeing, Soma. Rest assured that it is simply a tonic I prepared to relieve him of his symptoms.”

 

“I see…” She said, and held the envelope up to her chest, protectively. “How did you know my name, Master _Kansuke_ , was it?”

 

The man’s lips upturned briefly in a secretive smile before his face returned to its austere mask. He bowed slightly, his eyes perusing her form once again. Soma was made slightly uncomfortable by this; more so that the man’s eyes were so unemotional that they made her feel cold by proxy. 

 

“I know _everything_ that goes on in this house,” he announced. He gestured to the envelope Soma clung to her chest with a nod. “Lord Shingen will be awaiting his tea.”

 

Before she could reply, Kansuke was gone. Sasuke guffawed, once again amazed by the man’s quickness and dexterity. Soma assumed that he was another one of the castle’s shinobi, and knew that if she did not complete her task there would be consequences. 

 

As she arranged the pot of tea on a serving tray, she added a dish with a few loose pieces of the fresh dango they had just made. Looking down at it, it did not seem like the kind of thing that was appropriate to serve a great daimyo lord. She decided to sprinkle some toasted kinako flakes over it to make it more visually appealing, and looked to Sasuke for his approval. The boy smiled at her and nodded.

 

Soma timidly approached Shingen’s quarters. She heard him shuffling about inside, hacking and coughing. He cursed softly as his fit finally subsided, and she waited a moment before announcing her presence.

 

“Come in!” He said in a voice much more commanding than the one she’d heard groaning and cursing not a minute before. She slid open the door and brought the tray inside. Their eyes met and his features softened immediately. “Soma, my dear… Don’t tell me they have you running around for me now, too.”

 

“I serve you gladly, Lord Shingen,” she replied with a slight bow as she quietly scrutinized his appearance.

Though a little pale, he did not seem to be that worse for wear. The medicine was apparently doing something for him. He got out of the way so that she could place the tray down on a low table in the centre of the room. As she turned to bow to him and make her leave, he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. They both looked at his large hand as it overtook hers almost humorously in its size. Perhaps embarrassed by this, he quickly let her go.

 

“Join me,” he said in his low, rumbly voice. He gestured to the cushions surrounding the table. “Please.”

 

Hesitantly, Soma did as she was told and knelt with him at the table. She began to serve their tea, and smelled a somewhat bitter aroma rising from it almost immediately. As she suspected, Kansuke’s tonic was not very covert. Perhaps Shingen really did know about the medicine and just did not want to take it alone.

 

“Is that kinako-mochi?” He asked, looking curiously at the plate of treats she’d brought.

 

“No, milord,” she said, and set his cup down in front of him. “I was making dango and thought you might enjoy some. I trust I was not being too presumptuous.”

 

“Not at all,” he replied, his amber eyes shining with pleasure at her thoughtfulness.

 

They toasted each other and he watched her drink before he decided to do so, as well. Once again, she felt like his poison taster, though she had it on good authority that those providing his care were only set on his comfort. The tea maintained its bitter aroma, but surprisingly tasted fine.

 

“I much prefer sake,” the lord revealed with a chuckle, “but I suppose it’s a bit early for that, isn’t it?”

 

“Perhaps a bit,” Soma agreed. Though she also preferred sake, it was still not quite the middle of the afternoon.

 

“Tell me about yourself, my dear,” he prompted, apparently eager to keep their conversation going.

 

He had heard it all before, but she once again recounted her tale of angering her local magistrate only to wind up Shingen’s poison taster. She was later taken on by Lord Yukimura as his attendant. She neglected to include the fact that Yukimura had tasked her unofficially with preparing Shingen’s meals, as well, though she was certain the man knew she had been doing so all along.

 

“Yukimura has certainly taken a shining to you,” he observed with a telling glint in his eye. “You must be a very special woman to be allowed anywhere near him.”

 

“I beg your pardon, milord,” Soma attempted to recover from his insinuation, “but Lord Yukimura did first meet me when I was pretending to be my brother.”

 

Shingen reclined, visibly taken aback by her statement. She gulped, worried that she had somehow offended him, but he abruptly expelled such a guffaw that could likely be heard throughout the castle.

His broad shoulders shook with laughter, his high cheekbones bearing the burden of his emotion so beautifully that in the moment he seemed a completely different person than the solemn daimyo perched intimidatingly on his dais. She suddenly realized that he was barely even in a state to be receiving company, least of all by somebody of her persuasion. Still wearing nothing but his sleeping robe, he appeared as though he’d just awoken from a nap when she came calling, his crimson hair still falling loosely about him.

 _So much for keeping a schedule,_ she mused to herself. She noted that, despite his lack of regalia, he still commanded the room excellently.

 

“You are a quick one, aren’t you?” He said, wiping a tear from his cheek once he managed to calm down. “Our Yukimura is not the most outgoing when it comes to women, to be sure. I think at this point that my failure to wrangle him a consort is more a matter of personal honour for me than anything to do with him. What do you think about that, my dear?”

 

“With all due respect, milord,” Soma said reactively, “I should think that your retainers stand to benefit more from your leadership than your matchmaking.”

 

Shingen’s eyes flickered and he bore his teeth in a sly smile, as he was once again thrilled by her articulate bluntness. She had become so used to doling out witty comebacks to the men she served at the restaurant, that it had become second nature, for better or for worse.

 

“And how would _you_ like to benefit from me?” He dared with a wink. Soma cringed internally, realizing that he had somehow mistaken her humour for flirtation.

 

“Your hospitality has been more than generous, Lord Shingen,” she replied tactfully, and bowed her head in respect.

 

When she looked up at him again, to her surprise, he still appeared charmed. He held his thumb between his teeth like he was trying to stifle himself from revealing any more of his intentions. He eyed her hungrily, however, her coyness having apparently only exacerbated his curiosity.

 

“My hospitality, eh?” He repeated with a chuckle. He absently scratched the portion of his athletic torso that was exposed through an opening in his robe.

 

Shingen put up enough of a professional exterior when on his dais, but had the reputation of being an incorrigible womanizer in private life. Knowing about the intimate connection between Uesugi Kenshin and himself, Soma understood that he was in truth simply a very sensuous and liberated man. It did not surprise her in the least to hear that he was heavily pursued. Mature and open about his complex desires, he carried himself with a confidence that rivalled even Saizo’s. She was in no position to criticize his enjoyment of sex, either, having herself been intimate with more than one man in less than a month.

 

Soma casually took another sip of tea and he mirrored her movements, allowing her to take the lead in their interaction. She wondered how long this simple exchange of pleasantry would satisfy him, but hoped it was at least long enough to see that he took his medicine.

 

“Speaking of hospitality…” He continued, and slung the rest of his drink down his throat. Soma quickly poured him another cup and he nodded to her in thanks. “I will be hosting a visitor here shortly. I should like you to entertain us.”

 

“Milord?” Soma said, almost choking on her tea. He leaned forward and smiled, this time a tad less predatorily.

 

“You have such a way about you,” he explained. “You’re so… _Smart._ Not like other women at all, are you?”

 

“I wouldn’t say that, milord…”

 

“And you’re a devastatingly good cook, too,” he said, popping one of her dango into his handsome mouth. “Yes, I should like you to take good care of my friend and I. I’ll make sure it’s alright with Yukimura, of course.”

 

“Yes, milord…”

 

“Though I don’t think it’s fair of him to keep such an intriguing woman all for himself…”

 

Shingen continued to stare at her as he chewed, deep in thought about something known only to him. Soma was aware that she would ultimately have no choice but to go along with whatever he was planning.

When the pot of tea was empty, she stood to take her leave. Shingen acknowledged that she likely had other work to do and even apologized for keeping her so long, which she of course graciously dismissed. For some reason he felt compelled to escort her to the door, and lingered there to watch her hurry away down the hall with her tray.

 _Where did this girl come from?_ He wondered, even though he already knew her story in as much detail as could be revealed, and that she wasn’t lying about any of it.

He thought to himself when he retreated back into his quarters how unusual it was to have a woman around who did not throw herself at him like the others did. It impressed him and disjointed him, equally, having realized over time that he had developed a bit of a silly crush on her. He began to wonder what sort of man she _would_ throw herself at.

 

“You seem troubled, Harunobu,” Kansuke said as he appeared suddenly from the shadows. Shingen was used to his friend’s spontaneous entrances and turned casually to greet him.

 

“That Soma woman just left,” he said, smiling unwittingly. His expression turned sour, however, when he suddenly remembered the reason for her visit. “She won’t get sick from that tonic, will she?”

 

“She shouldn’t,” Kansuke replied. He tilted his head at him, apparently made curious by his interest. “Are you so concerned?”

 

“She’s not my poison-taster anymore,” Shingen chuckled, relieved. He turned away, feeling ashamed to say his next words, “I think I want her for my next conquest…”

 

“No,” Kansuke said, his voice a little more serious. Shingen looked back at him and grimaced at the cold expression on the man’s face.

 

“You say no to _me_?” He demanded, becoming angry. It was not something he was used to being told. A look of pity flashed over Kansuke’s cold eyes.

 

“You may waste what precious energy you have on whatever you wish, Harunobu, but this woman…” He fell decidedly silent, but Shingen prompted him to continue. “She is being watched by various parties. One is working for Maeda Toshiie, who apparently was quite fond of her father.”

 

Shingen knew the name; Maeda Toshiie was recently promoted as one of Oda Nobunaga’s generals. After returning to his clan a prodigal son, Toshiie worked hard and forged a promising future for himself through his family’s alliance with the Oda Clan. Dubbed The Spear of Sengoku, he was developing a deadly reputation that rivalled even Yukimura’s.

The Takeda army had been successful at protecting their assets thus far, but it was common knowledge that Kai was one of the provinces marked by the Oda for invasion. It was just a matter of time before they would all finally meet in person on the battlefield.

 

“And the others?” Shingen asked, somehow suspecting that Maeda Toshiie wasn’t the only man he might anger if he were to bed Soma.

 

“That moody friend of Lord Yukimura’s,” Kansuke obliged. “The virgin lord himself, of course, is very fond of this woman. He may have her in mind as a bride for his brother.”

 

“Sanada Nobuyuki would never marry a commoner,” Shingen scoffed, knowing Yukimura’s older brother just well enough to develop the opinion that he was as posh and stingy as nobles came. Kansuke silently shrugged.

 

Realizing that he was simply annoying Shingen by attempting to snuff out his lofty fantasy, he returned to his quarters to resume his training. As he performed his katas, however, he found it difficult to concentrate. He could think only of the pretty, polite young woman he encountered in the kitchens, and was beginning to understand how a man could become so enthralled by her.

 _Perhaps she is a witch,_ he mused. He chuckled to himself, unconvinced that such magic could possibly exist in such a terrible world.

 

He saw the one called Saizo speaking with Maeda Toshiie’s man weeks ago. He wondered if he knew his colleague from Iga had recently been hired to keep an eye on the girl he was intent on corrupting. It was a moot point. As long as he did not intend to harm Shingen, his business with Soma was none of Kansuke’s concern; nor was her affair with Saizo and his hopeless master. He only hoped that his own master could keep his business to himself where she was concerned.

Shingen’s illness left him with limited strength, which he needed in its entirety to fulfill his obligations. If no one was to know how ill he really was, he would need to refrain from expending any more energy than he absolutely needed to; and that included refraining from intercourse. Believing that the lord’s bad habits were what led to his illness in the first place, Kansuke pressured him heavily to curb his appetites. It was no easy task; Shingen’s desires in and out of the bedroom were practically insatiable.

He resolved that he would share his concerns with the seemingly empathetic Soma. If she was unable to repel Shingen’s advances, however, he might be forced to have her sent away.

 

“With all due respect, Master Kansuke-“

 

“You don’t have to call me that,” he interrupted. Though at times misappropriated, Soma’s dedicated politeness meant that she knew her place, at least.

 

The two of them stood together in the kitchen while she put the finishing touches on the dango Sasuke attempted before he ran off to train with the other retainers. The boy didn’t do a terrible job, but the confections were not the most aesthetically pleasing. The pieces were not uniform in size, and there was even one giant piece on a skewer that looked like some kind of bees nest.

 

“Well, thank you. But with all due respect, you behave as though I _want_ to bed Lord Shingen…”

 

“Do you not?” Kansuke asked after a surprised pause. Soma just gaped at him. “I see…”

 

“I didn’t mean it like… It’s not that I don’t think he’s…”

 

“There is someone else, then?”

 

“Sure… I mean yes!”

 

“Mm.”

 

The woman did not sound at all convinced. Kansuke wanted her cooperation, but her apparent disquietude surrounding this subject was almost too embarrassing for him to want to continue with his interrogation.

 

“He won’t want to know who it is, will he?” She asked. Her hands wrung together nervously.

 

He already suspected who it was. He also knew why Soma might want to keep it a secret. Soma’s arrangement with Kirigakure Saizo and his master left her an unclaimed woman, as neither could marry her. Whatever their intentions with her ultimately were, Shingen could claim her for himself if he saw fit to do so.

The lord’s musings of making her his conquest may have been just that, but Kansuke saw nothing but trouble ahead. The last thing Takeda Shingen needed was another parasite sapping what little strength he had left to him. Furthermore, the consumption was highly contagious to those who had regular physical contact with him.

 

“Your life choices are none of my concern,” he began, attempting to soften his approach. He was aware that his sombre demeanour was very intimidating to women. “However, please allow me to give you a piece of advice. My knowledge on this subject has come by me honestly, as a lifelong servant of those with greater means than you can even fathom.”

 

Soma appeared a bit stunned by his sudden change of tone, but he wouldn’t be surprised if there was a part of her silently waiting, hoping that someone would interfere. He felt a little badly that it had to be him.

 

“Please tell me…”

 

“When you came to us a man, you were much freer than you are now,” he said. He tried to verbalize his thoughts as inoffensively as possible as she looked up at him with her big, dark eyes. “If you wish to survive in this world with your reputation intact, find yourself a good husband to belong to. Do you understand?”

 

Quietly, and as respectfully as possible to her present company, Soma started to cry. She nodded at him that she understood. He surely wasn’t telling her anything she did not already know.

In that moment, the shinobi did something completely uncharacteristic: he impulsively reached out to her and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. She was a sensitive woman and appeared in need of validation. To his surprise, she rushed to close the space between them and clung helplessly to the front of his kimono. He felt her shake against him as she sobbed. He had apparently opened a floodgate of repressed emotions in her that were now all tumbling out at once. Not knowing what else to do, he awkwardly folded his arms around her.

 _She_ does _smell good…_ He thought to himself, mostly because he was concerned that he would have trouble removing her scent from his clothing later. It was a potential liability for a shinobi to smell like much of anything.

 

She shook her head, and tried to recover herself, wiping the tears from her face with her sleeve. He pulled his arms away slightly so that they were still encircling her without making contact until she was ready to stand on her own two feet again.

 

“I’m sorry!” She cried. She shot away from him so quickly that she nearly sent him toppling forward. He dismissed her apology with a quick shake of his head. “What do I do, Kansuke?”

 

Her eyes begged him, searching his for answers he had been busy trying to formulate since he first resolved to speak with her. He had a potential solution to their problem; how she chose to execute it, as well as where it led, would be up to her. Mostly.

 

“A retainer of Date Masamune’s is on his way here,” he began. She nodded, and he was not surprised that she already knew about it. _Damn that loud-mouthed Umeko…_ He thought.

“You should make an effort to get to know him.” He understood how banal it sounded to make that suggestion after what he’d just said to her, but pressed on. “He is a good man. I think you would do well as his… Well, that is at your discretion. Heed my words, however; do not, under any circumstances, go to bed with Takeda Shingen!”


	10. An Eager Wisteria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The visiting lord from Oshu finds in Soma a willing audience for his hidden talents, and realizes what he has been simply sweeping under the rug all this time- both figuratively and literally. Takeda Shingen exposes his softer side in hopes of catching Soma's eye, much to his bodyguard's chagrin.

So entrusted was Katakura Kojuro with the Date clan’s affairs that he was put in charge of practically everything back in Oshu, from battle strategizing, to doling out servant’s wages. That being said, he was, above all, a very busy man. The fact that he was making time to visit Shingen at his estate, and for an entire month, no less, meant that the alliance between the two provinces was already practically secured. Their meeting in person was more a formality; an opportunity for Shingen to show off his prized gardens, and for Kojuro to learn more about the people and customs of Kai. Being a naturally curious person, his visit was of course his idea. A man of many skills, he earned the monicker of The Dragon’s Claws for his dedicated executorship of his beloved lord Date Masamune’s wishes. This one was affectionately known as The One-Eyed Dragon.

Date Masamune took ill as a child, causing him to become blind in one eye. The rumour was that the eye had become possessed by a demon, and so his mother willed that it be removed. He donned an eye patch to hide his deformity, but this apparently only acted to intensify his appearance. In his short time as daimyo, he already managed to develop a mysterious and dangerous reputation. Having fought them in the past, the Date Clan were formidable opponents, now turned formidable allies to the Takeda.

 

The more Soma heard about this Kojuro person, the more intimidated she became in spite of Kansuke’s patronage of his character. Not only was he much older than she, but he was apparently a terrifying wielder of justice over Oshu province. She rarely put her trust into rumours, but wondered how he would ever get along with someone as free-spirited and indulgent as Takeda Shingen. Conversely, she wondered how he would ever get along with someone as daft and uninteresting as she believed herself to be.

 

The day the staff and retainers of Tsutsujigasaki castle met his surprisingly modest convoy’s arrival, she stood obediently behind Yukimura and thought about how her deciding to possibly leave Kai for good might affect him. He had been nothing but kind to her, but the indomitably wise Kansuke’s advice echoed almost hypnotically through her mind. She acknowledged that it was very likely that the young lord was simply that; too young to really know what he wanted, and what that would cost her in turn. The same went for her beloved Saizo, from whom she had not heard at all since his departure. As each day passed, it became ever-clearer that he might not return to her at all.

 

As Kojuro’s retainers carried his belongings into the castle, many boxes passed by on their way inside, and even pieces of furniture to provide comfort and convenience to him during his stay. Soma became intrigued when a small apothecary made its way by. One box caught her attention, as well; a large, wooden one with small holes in the lid that took two men a surprising amount of effort to carry. It was oddly silent to contain a live pet.

Just as Kojuro was about to exit his palanquin, Shingen and his retainers closed in to greet him and Soma was unable to get a good look. By the time her view became unobstructed, he was already inside. From what she did manage to see, he was quite tall, and much younger-looking than she imagined.

 

That evening, a grand banquet was held in honour of his arrival. No expense was spared as attendants rolled barrel upon barrel of sake almost compulsively into the dining hall. Soma was given the task of organizing and executing the meal, directing the servants as though they were employees at her restaurant. She was thankful for the distraction, and the celebration proceeded beautifully without a hitch.

She decided to offer up her father’s famous Victory Bowls to the banquet; a dish similar to that which she’d prepared for Shingen on her first night as his poison taster. She received word from the other attendants that everyone was beyond impressed with the meal, and she was admittedly not surprised. The dessert course featured Shingen’s previous request of kinako-mochi, as well as fresh donuts and dango. Lord Kojuro was heard saying that he wasn’t much for sweets these days but had fond memories of oshiruko from when he was a child. Soma was sure to make a mental note of this.

The simple red bean porridge was a surprisingly saccharine choice for someone who did not typically enjoy sweets. To Soma, his affectionate nostalgia for the dish implied that he had a sentimental nature. She wondered if he enjoyed it best with or without mochi, and found it odd that she was fussing so much over someone she hadn’t even met yet.

 

After the meal was completed and the men really started to drink, Soma paced the kitchen anxiously, waiting for the moment she would be summoned to “entertain” Lord Shingen and his esteemed guest. She even wore one of the much finer kimono from the selection that had been offered her, though it proved to be a highly impractical choice for the work she was charged with that evening. The night pressed on, however, and the summons never came. She had supposed that Shingen might grow tired after such a large meal.

 

The older of the two servants she had befriended noticed Soma tittering about and kindly suggested that she relieve her of her duties. Embarrassed by her anxiety, Soma decided that she would accept Matsuko’s offer and relocate elsewhere so as not to cause the other servants concern.

She sought the cool night air in Shingen’s garden, craving the scent of flowers to relax her. What hit her nose instead was the smell of burning tobacco. A bit away in the distance, standing by an eager wisteria, was the tall frame of someone she thought she may have seen earlier that day. He hadn’t noticed her yet, so she watched for a moment as Katakura Kojuro drew smoke from his kiseru in a pleasurable silence. She instantly began to feel relaxed. As he puffed on the instrument, the tobacco embers lit up a defined jawline and high cheekbones intermittently, as well as a set of shining, deep-green eyes. Short, brown hair framed his kind, albeit lean face. He did not appear weak, but he was not as heavyset as some of the other samurai she knew. Though he was apparently Shingen’s age, like the playful lord himself he did not strike her as being too much older than she. These men carried themselves with a calm maturity, however, that could simply not be found in men her age.

Not wanting to be rude, Soma mustered up the nerve to approach him.

 

“Who is there?” He whispered into the darkness. He quickly tapped out his kiseru and a flash of steel served as a warning to his intruder.

 

“Pardon me, milord,” Soma replied in a gentle tone. She bowed to him, and the small kaiken he brandished returned immediately to its hiding place.

 

It was customary for visitors to an estate to surrender their weapons as a sign of respect. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, the look she gave him let him know that he was being very naughty.

 

“I’m sorry if I startled you… Are you the Lady Kiku?” He asked. Soma swallowed her urge to laugh as a grin formed behind her hand.

 

“No, milord,” she said. “My name is Soma. I am a servant to Lord Yukimura.”

 

He seemed relieved somewhat by her answer. Much more charming than she imagined, he elicited a blush or two as he analyzed her with his intelligent-looking eyes. She supposed he was wondering how she obtained the fine clothes she wore, and hoped he didn’t think she’d stolen them.

 

“ _Soma…_ ” He said, echoing her name musically. “You were the one behind that excellent supper! Well done.”

 

“Yes, thank you, milord.”

 

“I am Katakura Kojuro,” he introduced himself with a bow. Why he was bowing to her she did not know. He was perhaps a little drunk. “Was my smoke bothering you?”

 

“Not at all, milord,” she said, having grown to love the smell of tobacco. It usually meant that there were foreign merchants nearby with recipes to share. “Were you admiring the wisteria?”

 

“Oh, yes,” he replied. He apparently forgot where he was for a moment and reassessed his surroundings by touching the tree with the slender fingers of one hand. “This one is quite an early bloom, isn’t it? There are many of these where I am from… Perhaps it sensed me coming!”

 

Pleased with his own joke, he smiled. The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, finally showing a bit of his age. Soma had heard that those lines developed early on people who smiled often. Lord Shingen had them, too.

 

“Are you in need of anything, milord?” She asked. She hoped she wasn’t being presumptuous, but she had no other excuse to linger than to offer to serve him.

 

“Yes, actually…” He said, scratching his chin. He looked around suspiciously as though he was assessing the privacy of their conversation. “Would you come by my quarters in a few minutes?”

 

“Yes, milord…”

 

There it was, her summons. She recalled Saizo’s words about the decadence nobles allowed themselves where women and boys were concerned, and wondered what sorts of depraved things this lord might ask her to do.

He did not notice her apprehension; instead he just seemed relieved at her ready willingness to assist him. Just as he turned on his heel to leave, he made a sound like he suddenly remembered something.

 

“Oh, please bring a bowl of fresh greens with you!” He called behind him as he walked away with a friendly wave.

 

 _Fresh greens?_ Soma thought, her mind twisting around itself trying to determine their intended use. She considered that perhaps the lord was interested in some exotic lovemaking techniques that which she was previously unaware. If that was indeed the case, he was being extremely polite about it.

 

She did as she was asked and collected some komatsuna and daikon leaves from the kitchen. She made sure to wash them carefully before arranging them in a bowl. She placed that on a tray, along with a pot of tea, which she promptly brought to Lord Kojuro’s quarters.

He greeted her at the door and quickly ushered her inside, eager to retreat from prying eyes. Her jaw dropped immediately when she saw the terrible state his room was in.

Books and paperwork littered the floor to such a degree that she found it difficult to even find tatami to place her two feet upon. It looked as though a robber had turned the place completely upside down while desperately looking for valuables to steal.

 

“Lord Kojuro… What happened in here?” She asked, truly beyond astounded. She wondered if he kept his own home in such a state of disarray or if he had simply chosen to disrupt Shingen’s in a fit of drunken boredom.

 

“Well…” He said, scratching the back of his head. He blushed, as though he was only just becoming aware of the severity of the mess. “I was looking for my stash of smoke, you see. Oh, you’ve brought what I asked!” He took the bowl from her with a grateful nod and knelt down. “Bontenmaru, say thank you to Soma.”

 

Soma nearly fainted when she noticed a sizeable tortoise stalking across the floor towards the bowl of greens that Kojuro set down. The animal appeared to sentiently crane its neck upwards to look her in the face for a moment before turning its attention to its treat. It began to munch on the leafy vegetables in a more energetic manner than would typically be expected of such a creature. She was completely awestruck, unbelieving that this was all the lord had wanted of her.

 

“Oh!” She gasped, feeling somewhat embarrassed for assuming his intentions. Kojuro just looked up at her, all smiles, completely unaware of her internal conflict.

 

“Isn’t he great?” He gleamed, more a statement than a question.

 

 _Bontenmaru_ was a monicker that complimented the animal’s shape perfectly. Soma thought it was rather sweet that the man appeared so fond of him. Bent down on all fours in front of her, he observed the tortoise with a look of childlike wonder as it clumsily attacked its meal.

 

“Yes, milord,” she said with a giggle, then nodded at the tray. “If that’s everything, where may I set this down?”

 

Realizing that he had neglected to instruct her as to what to do with the heavy object, Kojuro shot upward and took it from her with an embarrassed look. He quickly side-stepped through the room and put it down on his writing desk.

 

“Good night, Lord Kojuro,” she said with a bow. It was getting very late, though roars of laughter and merriment still emanated from the dining hall.

 

She did not want to tarry while there were drunks about, taking care to put Sasuke to bed before attending to the Lord of Oshu’s request. She turned to leave and felt something tug at the hem of her garment by her feet. She looked down and saw that Kojuro’s tortoise had it in his mouth.

 

“Haha, oh my feisty friend…” The lord said as he rushed to her aid. He looked up at her and smiled. “Will you join us for a cup, Soma? It appears that Bontenmaru does not wish for you to leave us just yet.”

 

Soma obliged the lord and he cleared a space for them to sit at his writing desk. Despite the late hour, he seemed energized. He was obviously prone to a similar sleeplessness that she endured from time to time. While they sat together, his tortoise lounged happily with its head resting on her lap. She suspected that Kojuro would not allow this behaviour had he thought the animal might harm her, but she had never been so close to one before now as they were known to bite people in the wild. She was relieved that Bontenmaru appeared to be quite tame, not to mention strangely comforted by her attentions. Kojuro remarked that this was the first time he’d ever seen him behave in this way to anyone other than himself.

They talked about various things, and he was of course very curious to know how such a young woman from so far away came to be employed at Tsutsujigasaki castle. She was almost tired of telling the story at this point, however Kojuro’s interest was flattering. He was witty and worldly; having been to Kyoto before, he knew exactly where her family’s restaurant was when she described it to him. They spoke easily together and well into the night, as though they were old acquaintances. 

Soma eventually felt comfortable enough to ask him if he would have her back the next day to help him unpack and tidy his quarters a bit- for his comfort, of course. Just as she was finishing her thought, however, the lord’s attention waned and his head began to sink ever downward in the direction of the desk until he went completely silent. He was soon overcome with sleep, his arms wrapped around himself and his face planted firmly on the desk in front of him. She cleared her throat to see if he could be roused but he was out cold, his features so relaxed that she thought she might fall asleep herself just by watching him.

She carefully slid out from under the drowsy tortoise and located the lord’s haori laying in a heap on the floor nearby. She shook the garment out and carefully placed it over his shoulders before sneaking away to take the tray back to the kitchen. When she was done, she went to her own room to get some rest, resolving that she would take his cleanliness issue up with him again the next day.

 

She quickly changed into her sleeping robe before her exhaustion took over, and nearly jumped into the air when she realized that Yukimura was there, passed out drunk on her futon. She felt badly that he had sought her out and she wasn’t there for him; but she remembered Kansuke’s words and determined that those guilty feelings should not be her burden to bear.

She snuck into the bed. His big hands found her and pulled her closer. He mumbled something nonsensical and lazily nuzzled his face against her. He was so warm and familiar, and she was so exhausted.

 

Early the next morning, she awoke to find the young lord had once again already gone to his training. Smelling him on her bedding, she absently began to touch herself, fantasizing that he was trailing gentle kisses down her torso to her mound. She imagined opening her eyes and meeting his as they gazed up at her from between her legs with a playful glimmer. She was eager to feel someone’s mouth on her again in this way. Saizo spoiled her with this technique when they were in Kyoto after discovering her penchant for it, and she wondered if this knowledge was ever passed along.

Her fingers masquerading as Yukimura’s lips edged along her slit. She took her time, teasing her opening and the nub of flesh that became hard when his phantom tongue passed over it. Pulling herself apart gently, she already felt wet. She wondered how it might feel if he stuck his tongue inside her. She would gasp and grab hold of his hair. She would feel his sweet smile on her skin. He would be so proud of himself for making her want him like this.

 

A sudden knock came at the door. She froze, unbelieving of her persistently horrible luck with this kind of thing. Slightly annoyed, she stood and closed her robe around herself. She smiled as her fantasy Yukimura deftly gathered his clothing and, after blowing her a kiss, snuck outside via the veranda. She opened the door and blushed when she saw Lord Kojuro standing there in the hallway instead of the usual Sasuke. His mouth fell open immediately at the sight of her, and she only got redder.

 

It had been a very long time since Kojuro last saw a woman so suggestively underdressed and visibly aroused. Soma’s nipples were erect, poking defiantly against the thin fabric of her robe. Her hair was wild, and the air around her was lightly perfumed with the damp smell of sex. He could not help but to peer curiously behind her to see if she had a lover with her. She did not, and he wondered then if he had interrupted another kind of moment. The realization caused him to gulp, audibly.

 

She was unsurprisingly gone when he awoke some time before. She had thoughtfully covered him with his haori after he fell asleep. Before that, he remembered her saying something about how untidy his room was. He wanted to thank her and accept her help, realizing that she was of course right; and that poor Bontenmaru was likely made uncomfortable by the mess, as well.

As she stood practically naked before him, he wanted to instead tell her how lonely she made him realize he was. He wanted to tell her that his responsibilities in Oshu did not smell the way she did, nor ever speak so gently to him that he grew so relaxed as to drift off to sleep for the first time in what was possibly weeks. No one but she cared that he enjoyed the wisteria, nor did they much care for his tobacco habit, while she sloughed it off like it was nothing at all.

He found himself strangely paralyzed, however, suddenly unable to even wish her a good morning. She finally raised her eyebrows at him, prompting him to explain himself.

 

“I’d like to help you finish!” He exclaimed, then clapped his hand over his mouth. Soma’s eyebrows just got higher, and he couldn’t help but laugh at his own folly, though she did not seem to think it quite as funny.

 

“I beg your pardon, milord?” She asked, exasperated by his rambling.

 

“I mean, I’d like you to finish what you were saying. I fell asleep while you were talking earlier… My sincerest apologies.”

 

“Oh…” She said, suddenly shy.

 

When they met, she came across as someone who was typically rather agreeable; he had obviously just come at a bad time. He supposed that he was the reason she was up so late to begin with. Usually, he had a hard time rising, himself, once he went down. Oftentimes he would just drag whomever was trying to rouse him into bed with him to steal even just a few more moments of rest. He wasn’t exactly sure what came over him this particular morning. He felt strangely energized.

She bit her bottom lip. Was it an act of flirtation, or impatience? She was unbelievably even more beautiful as a disheveled mess than she was the precious girl in the garden he’d met the night before. He hated himself a bit for interrupting her. Her dark eyes reflected back to him a whole world of secret desires.

 _Keep it together, old man…_ He scolded himself.

 

“Would you come inside, Lord Kojuro?” She offered, and stuck her head out to look both ways down the hall.

 

He knew it was a little out of the ordinary for a guest of his status to be loitering in this part of the castle. He could have sent someone to collect her in his stead, but he was stubborn and enjoyed doing things for himself. At any rate, the retainer he ran into who called himself Kansuke was more than happy to tell him where he could find the woman’s room.

 

“I don’t want to intrude…” He offered politely; but stepped inside, nevertheless. Lurking around any longer where he didn’t belong might draw unneeded attention.

 

Her room was smallish and simple, as he expected; however Soma did not appear to be left wanting for much. When she slipped behind a painted screen to change into something more appropriate for his visit, she remerged in another kimono of better quality than was usual for someone of her charge. She was obviously very well taken care of.

 

“Have you eaten?” She asked him with a playful smile, clearly deciding to forgive him for his intrusion. He just gaped at her and shook his head, trying not to think too hard about the instant innuendo he derived from her simple question.

 

She excused herself, and it proved difficult not to watch her sumptuous bottom as she left. He sat down as far away from the privacy screen as he could; the lack of space allowed for no clear separation between living areas and he did not want to stake claim on any place that was potentially more private than any other. Her futon lay just beyond it and he knew he would now be forever cursed to envision her there with her legs spread wide. Her delicious scent was leaving now, too, and he breathed deeply, trying to hold it inside himself for as long as possible. He tried to remember the last time he’d indulged himself in masturbation, and he could not. It was no wonder his mind was wandering into such inappropriate territory.

 

She returned rather quickly with a tray that contained not only a pot of tea for them to share, but also a lovely bowl of oshiruko with mochi.

 _How did she know?_ He wondered.

 

“I rarely eat breakfast, I must say…” He admitted as he raised the first spoonful to his mouth. He savoured it gleefully, even taking a moment to close his eyes. He would have liked to see what his face was doing because, when he opened them, Soma was grinning at him from ear to ear. “Do I look silly?”

 

“Not at all, Lord Kojuro,” she said, in earnest. “I’m glad it’s tasty.”

 

While he ate, she explained to him all over again why it was a good idea to let her at least unpack his things so that the boxes could be taken away for storage. He politely feigned interest in what she was saying; he was going to let her do whatever she wanted, anyway. What he was most interested in was how dead set she was on helping him get sorted. It was very peculiar.

He considered at one point that she was being paid by Shingen to sweeten his opinion of their alliance; it would explain her fine belongings, at least. Their negotiations, however, were done through written message. If Soma was a bribe, she was a very late one. He resolved that she had her own reasons for wanting to lend him a hand, and tried to think of anything but the possibility that she might actually want to get to know him.

 

“You enjoy helping people, don’t you?” He said, finally. She seemed surprised by his question, as though no one had ever thought to ask her before.

 

“Yes, milord,” she replied. “I suppose that’s true.”

 

“An admirable trait.”

 

Too often were common people overlooked by their supposed betters, when in reality they had the most practical ideals. Then again, perhaps she was mad- or better yet, an assassin. His romantic fantasies about the adorable Soma amused him greatly while he let her rattle on about his silly room. He was thrilled to have met such a charming and generous person. She was almost too good to be true.

 

“How does that sound, Lord Kojuro?” She said as she rounded off her point. He smiled at her and took his final spoonful of oshiruko.

 

“Sounds good to me,” he chuckled.

 

The entire time Soma was unpacking Kojuro’s belongings, he hovered over her obsessively. It was clear that he was very particular about his possessions. Most of them were just books, but from how he was acting she wondered what kinds of secrets they were hiding. She made a point to keep a lookout for the Lover’s Guide, and actually saw it in among the other titles.

 _That’s much more popular than I thought…_ She considered.

 

Admiring the more classical scrolls and tomes in his collection, she thought she would ask the lord to tutor her and Sasuke while he was there, if he didn’t mind. He appeared genuinely flattered by her interest.

 

“Why don’t you pick out a book and we can read it together?” He offered.

 

She excitedly reached out and picked up a random one. Kojuro’s eyes went wide and he tried to snatch it from her, but she kept it away from him as though she were teasing her brother at home.

 

“Why can’t we read this one, Lord Kojuro?” She asked. He appeared to be trying to get cross with her, but could not. Relenting with a sad smile, his shoulders slumped, and a shade of pink painted itself across his cheekbones.

 

“Do you like poetry?” He asked. She beamed up at him.

 

“Did you write this, milord?”

 

Kojuro did not confirm or deny, but the look of guilt on his handsome face was absolutely precious. A quick scan of the room revealed that a good number of the books strewn about were bound in a similar manner. Not only was he a poet, but he was apparently quite a prolific one.

 

“I feel I should tell you that I brought them all here so no one would read them while I was away,” he revealed with an embarrassed laugh. Soma bowed to him deeply.

 

“It would be a high honour to read your poetry, Lord Kojuro,” she said. He laughed again.

 

“Well, we’ll see how long it takes for you to regret that statement.”

 

They made plans to get together the next day after she and Sasuke finished their chores. He made mention that he was thankful to be able to host his new students in a nice, clean room. The sense of accomplishment that she felt hearing his words was rejuvenating, to say the least.

 

That evening, Kojuro dined with Shingen in his quarters. Soma prepared the meal herself and served them fresh abalone, mushrooms fried in ginger with other vegetables and tofu- and sake, of course. It was delicious, as he expected.

While she regaled them with the story of the first time she met the impossibly rough-edged Lord Yukimura, he watched as Shingen eyed her greedily. He was already quite drunk, and was not being subtle with his body language. His posture was wide open; sitting across from her, he stuck his chest out like the big cat he was named after, prideful and majestic. He was flagrantly trying to seduce her.

The lord of Oshu could definitely appreciate Shingen’s appeal; he was an exemplary model for manhood, really, and his liberal-minded attitude made him enjoyable to be around. Before they’d even met in person, his letters were smart and articulate, reflecting a man who knew a lot about the world that lay beyond Japan. He wasn’t sure if he could handle competing with him for a woman’s interest at his age. Shingen was truly indomitable.

 _What in the hell am I thinking?_ He scolded himself. _He is older than I am!_

He held back his smiles as Soma tactfully and politely ignored every one of the daimyo’s attempts to draw her attention, and wondered how long this awkward exchange had been going on between them. Lord Shingen was a good man, but his reputation for being a bit of a fiend preceded him. Kojuro had heard Soma’s story straight from her own mouth, but still couldn’t believe that out of all the daimyo to choose from she should wind up under this one’s roof. The magistrate’s punishment was well-thought.

 

When their meal was finished, Kansuke saw Katakura Kojuro step out onto Shingen’s patio to smoke his kiseru. Soma did not follow him, and so the shinobi snuck around to where he could see inside. Not being able to hear their conversation from his vantage point, he read their lips instead.

Soma was trying to clean up as Shingen edged ever closer to her. He lay playfully at her feet on the floor and turned over onto his back so that he could look up at her. She glanced down at him, occasionally, smiling politely. A slow blush crept across her cheeks when he complimented how she looked in the kimono he gave her, and praised her cooking. He was actually being completely genuine, for once.

He went on to say that he would like her stay behind and comb his hair after Kojuro retired for the evening, even though Kansuke had already done it for him once today. The lord never handled his own hair; it was one of the creature comforts he insisted upon. The shinobi knew that Shingen could simply not manage it himself, having not cut it since he came of age almost thirty years ago. Some of his more superstitious followers argued that it was the source of his power.

Much to Kansuke’s chagrin, Soma agreed to come back after she took their dishes back to the kitchen; though even he wasn’t sure how she should have gone about denying his request.

 

Kojuro seemed disappointed when he returned to the lord’s quarters and saw that Soma was gone. Shingen told him that he had to dismiss her so that she could attend to an errand. He then feigned a yawn and cordially wished him good night. The man left looking a bit confused, and a satisfied Shingen waited patiently until he was out of sight before getting up to retrieve his comb.

Kansuke had finally just gotten the nerve to try to intervene when Soma promptly came back. He had, however, managed to get a bit closer so that he could hear them.

 

Shingen emerged from his bedroom, and smiled at her. She returned the look, albeit shyly, and accepted the fine, bone ivory tool he held out to her so that she could complete her assignment.

He plopped down on the floor and turned his back to her. Casually pulling down on his kimono, it fell loose about his broad shoulders. Soon, he was naked from the waist-up, and an uneasiness grew in the woman’s dark eyes.

 

 _He’s so big…_ Soma thought to herself as she approached him slowly.

 

Defined muscles rippled throughout his torso. Strong and thick, Shingen was at the peak of his physical development; a grown man. His battle scars were somehow almost negligible against the magnificently golden glow of his skin in the lantern light. He sat straight, revealing the shape of his powerful back, like the top half of an hourglass. He reached up with one of his beefy arms and loosened his hair, which then cascaded down his back in a soft, crimson deluge.

 

She knelt behind him but hesitated, grasping the comb with a shaky hand.

 

“What are you waiting for, my dear?” He said in a tone that was somehow simultaneously commanding and gentle.

 

“It’s nothing, milord…” She muttered, and began to gather his hair together so that she could see what she was working with.

 

It was as soft as it looked, and smelled faintly of incense. She began closer to the ends to prevent the comb from getting tangled into any knots and pulling at him. Amazingly, for as long as it was, his hair was smooth and shiny despite his health. As she ran the comb through it, it fell into long-perfected waves that bounced lightly when released from her touch.

His body was relaxed and his broad shoulders rose and fell with deep, intentional breaths. They allowed different shadows to be cast from the light of the lantern on his flesh, redefining each line of powerful muscle in an almost hypnotic fashion. It was clear to Soma that he very much liked to be touched in this way, pampered and preened like one would a rare feline.

 

“Rub my shoulders, would you?” He sighed, taking a moment to stretch his arms behind him, arching his back.

 

More muscles revealed themselves beneath his golden skin, the line of his back drawing the eyes downward beyond where his belt now hung loosely around his hips. Soma unwittingly gasped and she heard him chuckle, lowly. She had to consider that he was probably used to being groomed, and that it was really she who was needlessly sexualizing this experience. It made her begin to question her own motives.

Once he relaxed, she again gently gathered his hair. As she swept it all over one shoulder to get it out of the way she accidentally grazed his earlobe with her fingertips. He shuddered at her touch, and she froze in place. He looked back at her with an uncharacteristic vulnerability.

 _Is he ticklish?_ She wondered.

Reminding herself of what Kansuke said, she quickly averted her eyes. She didn’t want to disobey Shingen, but she didn’t want to exactly encourage him, either. She proceeded to massage below his neck, edging both thumbs along where his shoulders met in the centre, and sweeping upward in a steady, repetitive motion.

He suddenly stopped her with an upraised hand and produced a small container from his clothing. When he handed it her way she nearly dropped it, juggling it for a moment between her hands. He chuckled again at her nervousness.

 

“Tsubaki-abura,” he said, naming the contents. “You should only need a few drops.”

 

Soma recognized the smell when she opened its container. A mix of camellia flowers and other ingredients, it was a prized beauty oil for hair and skin. She could never afford anything like this back in Kyoto; it was commonly something used only by Geisha.

Shingen did not think a woman’s beauty rituals were beneath him, at least. He definitely was living testimony to their benefits, the oils having healed several of his scars to near invisibility.

She took a few drops and rubbed her hands together to warm it before slicking it over the man’s bare skin. He again shuddered impulsively at her touch, and let out a long, slow breath. Soma was momentarily distracted by this but did not hesitate to redirect her attention to her task, massaging the flesh as deeply as she could with her small hands. Untrained, she could only do what she thought she might like were their roles reversed. Shingen seemed to be enjoying her technique, which forced her to reconsider her initial suspicion that he was spoiled regularly with this kind of treatment.

 

“You have strong hands for a woman,” he commented. Soma knew that he was not meaning to insult her. She had been working since she could reach the hearth.

 

“Am I being too rough, milord?” She asked. _Is he really going to compare me to other women again?_ She wondered, unbelieving of his brutishness. Before she could judge him further, he exhaled a smile.

 

“You? Never,” he replied, sweetly. He reached up and grabbed one of her hands. He turned his face so that he could kiss her fingers gently, then released her again. “Thank you for this.”

 

The kiss was one of reverence, if anything; a tight, closed-mouthed thing with many possible motives behind it. Soma just silently resumed her massage. His voice sounded a little melancholy, but she didn’t want to pry into his affairs. She knew that if he was to start playing at her heartstrings she would be useless against his charms. She was always kind of a gullible, woman; but she just wanted everyone around her to feel happy and loved. The men she served had brutal and short lives, and it made some of them more forward in their private lives than might be deemed normal in proper society.

 

Shingen sighed and moaned softly throughout her effort, until the tsubaki-abura was completely absorbed into his skin. She slowed her movements to a halt, then slid her hands down his back and lowered them to her sides. She located the container of oil beside her and went to hand it back to him, but he stopped her.

 

“Keep it,” he said, and moved his seat forward so that he could recline himself. “I can always get more.”

 

His amber eyes smiled up at her, his head resting on her lap amid his mane of red hair. She couldn’t even see the real colour of her kimono when she peered down at him, stunned by his persistent familiarity.

 

“Thank you, Lord Shingen…”

 

She was aware of the value of the item, due to the involved process of its production. It took many camellia flower to be able to extract even a single drop of oil. The lord, though not directly her employer, had been very generous with her; her closet contained clothes almost too fine to be subjected to the work she did. She did notice that her list of chores was growing ever shorter as each day passed, however.

He reached up to caress the outline of her jaw with his fingertips. He was surprisingly gentle, considering his size.

 

 _She’s so… Innocent,_ he thought, watching her attempt to refrain from looking over his half-naked body. Otherwise, she was frozen solid, her breathing shallowed to near imperceptibility. He wished that he could read her thoughts.

 

“If it _is_ consumption…” He remembered Kansuke telling him a year ago after he’d suffered a particularly violent coughing fit. “You will die from it, Harunobu.”

 

“How long will it take?” He dared to ask. The shinobi stared at him for a while with his cold, dead eyes.

 

“A year or two… Maybe longer if we reign in your symptoms.”

 

“There is nothing for it, then,” Shingen resolved. “I must live just long enough to make it worth my time.”


	11. Best Laid Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soma finds solace in her developing friendship with Lord Kojuro, but how much of their attraction is natural? Saizo realizes that his arrangement with Lord Yukimura has its flaws.

Soma could not sleep, so she went down to the kitchen to make some tea. Shingen’s chiseled features, now practically burned into her mind, begged her to betray her promise to Kansuke to stay away from his master. Wondering if his request to have her massage him was just part of his attempted seduction, she felt foolish for walking right into that kind of trap. She only wanted to do a good deed for the daimyo, who clearly suffered from his mysterious ailment.

Immune to the judgment of those who served him, he could have made her his, made her his toy, a tool used to cajole a surprisingly fragile ego. She would have no choice but to oblige him. To her disillusionment, however, he did none of those things. Even as his erection stood straight as a pine after her massage, he just spoke casually with her for a few minutes until he dismissed her so that he could rest for the night. His restraint left her full of questions, and she could only wonder if her confusion was the desired result of his actions.

She fingered the container of tsubaki-abura as she turned in to the entrance of the kitchen, and was shocked to see Matsuko there, tending to a boiling pot of red algae on the hearth. She shot upward in surprise.

 

“What’s the matter, Matsuko?” Soma asked as she approached. The woman gave a surprised laugh.

 

“You don’t know what I’m doing?” She asked. Soma shook her head. “I keep forgetting how young you are…”

 

Matsuko took the pot from the fire and set it down on the floor. She scooped out the seaweed, which appeared to have been cooking for quite a while, leaving a near-colourless broth that congealed quickly as it cooled.

 

“What are you going to do with that?” Soma inquired. She noted the interesting texture the water had taken on; like a sort of glue, only slick instead of tacky.

 

“I will tell you a secret,” Matsuko began, reaching into the pot. She stuck two fingers into the water and when she pulled them out again they were shiny and covered in a thick layer of it. “It is sometimes difficult to… _Accommodate_ a lover. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

 

“I… Think so,” Soma replied, gawking at the woman’s slippery fingers. Matsuko even went so far as to open and close them, showing a web of silvery trails between them.

 

“My husband is a _large_ man, you see,” she revealed with a wink. Soma blushed. “I use this from time to time. My own mother taught me, if you can believe it. Ha! Some of the best lessons are the unexpected ones, no?”

 

Soma giggled and nodded. Matsuko wiped her fingers off on her apron and reached for a small bowl. She doled out an amount of the ointment into the vessel and handed it to the younger woman. She explained that it had many cosmetic benefits, but _if she decided to use it for sexual gratification_ , that was its intended use. She revealed also that several male retainers had commissioned her to make the ointment before- including Lord Shingen, himself- and Soma’s mind began to race with the possibilities of what _they_ did with it.

 

When she finally decided to retire, she still felt flustered. Her mind drifted continuously to the daimyo’s muscular form, slick with oil. Before she knew it, she was making a detour to Yukimura’s quarters. As she tiptoed along the patio, the wistful lilt of a shinobue could be heard softly calling to her from down below in the garden. She wasn’t aware of anyone in the castle who played a musical instrument, but could not be bothered with that now.

As she neared his room, she could hear heavy breathing coming from therein. Soft moans and excited grunts played alongside the mysterious song. Her heart fluttered nervously in her chest, anticipating that she would be seen by whomever was below in the garden if she dawdled. Without any warning or care for Yukimura’s privacy, she quickly slid open the door and shut herself inside.

 

“Soma…!” He gasped as he sat up on his futon.

 

He was completely naked, his athletic body posed erotically against the light of a small lantern. He was holding his prick in his hands, and she smiled when she realized what he had been doing. She put a finger up to her lips to remind him to stay quiet, and loosened her obi.

 

“Lay back down, Yukkin,” she said.

 

Yukimura liked it when she spoke to him like that. He was hoping she would visit him tonight, and waited patiently for her to be finished her dinner service. Well, perhaps not as patiently as he could have done.

He did as she asked, and stretched out on his back. He felt a bit bashful at first, but when she knelt down and proceeded to straddle his face he instantly began to salivate. He felt her breasts slide down his torso as she lowered her mouth to his prick. He swept his tongue along her pleasure spot, just as Saizo had told him to do. Realizing that she was already aroused, he let out a satisfied chuckle.

He felt her grasp him and kiss the swollen pinnacle of his length. His hips jutted upwards impulsively and her mouth opened around him, soft and wet. She took him deep towards the back of her throat all at once, her tongue lashing around the shaft, while her little hands wrapped firmly around the base. She was obviously not kidding around.

 

“Oh, _fuck!_ ” He growled, his entire body convulsing from the sensation.

 

He couldn’t help his vulgarity, but it seemed to only excite her all the more. Holding onto her hips, he sightlessly guided one hand to where her buttocks parted, and proceeded to stick his thumb inside her, straight to the joint. She moaned on his prick, sending vibrations through it that echoed into his testes. He shivered beneath her.

 _I want to take you,_ he thought. _I want to make you mine…_

 

He wasn’t so naïve that he couldn’t see how Shingen coveted her. Wasn't she aware that she was desired by an entire castle full of curious men? As much as he wanted her near him always, it was not safe for her in Kai. He didn’t care what his friend said; she belonged to _them alone_. Never in his life did he think he would be competing with Shingen, especially, whom he looked up to like a father. His body begged his mind not to dwell on these thoughts any further as Soma’s hips began to rock back and forth over his hand, making love to his thumb in rhythm with her fellatio. He could feel every ripple and fold of her insides as they opened and closed around him. He imagined what his member might feel like in there and nearly lost control. He calmed himself down by trying to concentrate exclusively on making her body feel good, just as Saizo had instructed. He pushed his digit in and out of her using her own movements as a guide while licking and sucking on the little pheasant in the bush he’d made friends with the other night. Occasionally, to catch his breath, he let his mouth stray from its post to kiss and nibble at the flesh of her thighs. It wasn’t long before he couldn’t concentrate anymore.

 

“Soma…” He hissed as she took the entirety of his shaft down her throat. She released it slowly, and looked back at him. “Can we try again…?”

 

She shot him a coy smile and rolled off his body so that she could lounge beside him. Though he was sad to no longer have her ass in his face, at least this way he could see her. Her lips were plump and red from their exertion and it was indecent and erotic, something that would have made him turn tail and run only weeks ago. He leaned closer to kiss them, and they succumbed like soft mochi against his. He parted them with his tongue and probed inside. She allowed him, and they hungrily shared the flavour of her arousal.

He moved her legs apart and lowered himself between them. Before he could try anything, she stopped him with an upraised finger. His look prompted her for an explanation, but instead she produced a bowl full of a strange liquid. Without a word, she took some in her hand and began to rub it along his shaft. His breath hitched in his throat. The sensation was cold at first, but the motion warmed it as she spread it over his length in a way that felt deliciously naughty. It made it more sensitive to the air, and allowed for smoother movement along it when being milked. He couldn’t hold back a disappointed noise when she suddenly stopped. He looked down, however, and saw that she was doing the same to herself in preparation to receive him. He brought himself closer to her. As he gazed upon her pretty face he felt her hand return to his prick and guide it towards her. The head of it entered something warm, and then amazingly more of it still. She did not appear to be in pain, only concentrating hard on relaxing her body.

The feeling of her was incredible. Being connected this way felt so natural, like he truly belonged there. He wondered how he had managed to stay true to his vow for so long.

 

“You can move now… If you like, milord…”

 

He gulped audibly. Something snapped inside of him, but not before he begged the gods for forgiveness. He felt certain that they would do the same in his place.

 

“Call me Yukimura!” He scolded, and she appeared surprised by his assertion. He surprised himself.

 

He pushed further into her, testing her depths, his body somehow instinctively knowing what to do. Their tandem moans were muffled by kisses while he consumed her, body and soul. At that moment she was truly, unequivocally his. It excited him beyond measure.

His hips rocked at her voraciously. It felt as though he hit her organs inside, and he feared he might eviscerate her if he pushed any harder. Despite this, she rose her hips to meet his with each ensuing thrust, coaxing him ever deeper. She wrapped her legs around him. He could not be sure where she ended and he began. Their flesh was as one, their sweat and heat permeating the night air while their shadows did battle on the wall from the lantern light.

 

It did hurt at first. It was almost inconceivable how he managed to fit inside her at all, he was so large. Once her body relaxed to him, however, he hit her in places Saizo did not when they played. Learning that all men would feel different in this way, she desired in her illusory state of lust to sample each one of them in turn, and even at once.

In an ecstatic flight of fantasy, she imagined Lord Shingen forcing himself on her, his ocean of hair falling about like perfumed feathers. She felt the sweet Lord Kojuro’s tender kiss on her mouth, tasting of tobacco leaf. Inuchiyo was there, as well, drunk and wild with desire as Saizo watched silently from the shadows. She understood that Saizo’s lessons had made her body greedy, awakening her to an endless pursuit of carnal pleasure, her innocence lost forever. The thought caused a single tear to roll down the side of her face. Yukimura caught it in a kiss.

 

“I love you…” He whispered near her ear, as though he knew she needed to hear it. “By the gods… I love you, Soma…”

 

He growled a curse before wrapping his arms around her to bury his face in the crook of her neck. He quickened before shouting an indiscernible string of vulgarities into the bedding by her head while he filled her to the brim. He vibrated in her arms like a man possessed, rendered helpless to the throws of his climax. His body was heavy and inelegant, and Soma’s pelvis felt out of place by the time he was finished. All that she could think about was that, sometime during their tryst, the shinobue in the garden had ceased its sad song.

 

Hattori Hanzo, grasping Sasuke’s earlobe scoldingly between two fingers, held the child’s face against the crack in the door through which he was caught observing the lovers. Once he was satisfied that the shinobi’s apprentice had seen enough, he yanked him away and around a dark corner.

Kansuke watched from his hiding place as Hanzo proceeded to reprimand the curious boy, who glared up at the man, defiantly.

 

“What was he doing to my Soma?” He hissed, his small fists clenched at his sides like he was considering using them on someone. Kansuke could not help but to smile at this.

 

“What do you think?” Hanzo whispered, his typically static features warped with a suspicious look of contempt. He was clearly just as affected by whatever was taking place in Lord Yukimura’s chambers.

 

“Why are _you_ here?” Sasuke whispered back, tears streaming down his face. “It always means something bad when _you’re_ here!”

 

Hanzo blinked, taken aback by his words. He released the boy and collected himself.

 

“That is none of your concern,” he stated, and turned to leave.

 

“No, but it is mine,” Kansuke said as he emerged from the shadows. A brief look of panic flashed across Hanzo’s face, but he stood his ground.

 

“Go to bed,” both men said in near unison.

 

Reluctantly, Sasuke did as he was told and disappeared in the direction of the servants quarters. Kansuke engaged Hanzo in a competitive stare-off that the latter quickly lost.

 

“I was told to keep an eye on the woman,” he half-heartedly explained.

 

“Not by Kirigakure Saizo, though,” Kansuke guessed. Sasuke was right; Hanzo’s appearance was typically a bad omen for Saizo, who barely tolerated him and often referred to him as _Lord Babysitter of Iga_.

 

Hanzo grit his teeth, reluctant for some reason to reveal any more information. He seemed uncharacteristically agitated, even annoyed, as brief flashes of guilt interrupted his typically cool facade. He finally thought to take his hand off his sword, and Kansuke exhaled. He did not want to have to hurt the man, respecting his reputation just enough to want to save him the embarrassment.

 

“No,” he admitted, finally. “Another young lord is worried that she might be in danger.”

 

“ _Inuchiyo…_ ” Kansuke muttered. Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “Have you not heard her say this name in her sleep?”

 

“I have…”

 

“He will come here for her,” Kansuke predicted with a curt smile.

 

“He seems to think that she will eventually leave of her own accord,” Hanzo said confidently, deciding not to confirm or deny Maeda Toshiie’s identity. Kansuke likely already knew everything; even their deal, which was the only reason for his being there while Saizo was not.

 

“What do _you_ think she will do?”

 

Hanzo didn’t have a clue. Dissecting the mind of a woman was not within his scope of ability. Both of them wished that she could simply return to her home in Kyoto. That was what Maeda Toshiie wanted, as well. The only thing standing in the way of this, however, was the vengeful magistrate intent on her misery. Kansuke was likely also aware of this problem.

 

“I can’t say,” Hanzo admitted. “She is a strange sort of woman…”

 

To his surprise, Kansuke broke his emotionless protocol and heaved an exasperated sigh.

 

“She is a distraction,” he grumbled. “That is all that she is, Iga-born.”

 

Hanzo understood his rival’s sentiment, though he did not agree that any of this was Soma’s fault. He listened as Kansuke explained his elaborate plan to urge her to follow Katakura Kojuro to his estate in Oshu Province.   
Shingen’s woman habit was no secret, and it was no surprise to him that things at Tsutsujigasaki castle had become more interesting with her around. A part of him wondered if Kansuke himself also found her distracting. It would certainly explain his apparent desperation to be rid of her. The thought made him unwittingly grin, and the other man narrowed his eyes at him.

 _That girl could wrap any man around her little finger if she wanted,_ he thought. He felt thankful that she had such a kind and altruistic nature in spite of this skill, unlike some female shinobi he knew.

 

“Tell me…” Kansuke said. “Where is that petulant Saizo, anyway?”

 

Saizo narrowly avoided running into his rivals on his way to Soma’s room as they gossiped on the stairs above him like a couple of old maids. He stopped dead when he reached the door, somehow knowing that she wouldn’t be inside when he opened it.

When the other men had finally gone, he climbed up the railing and across the balcony to his master’s quarters where he suspected his companions were. He snuck into the room where the two lovers slept soundly in each other’s arms. They were naked, covered only haphazardly with Yukimura’s sleeping robe. He licked his fingers and snuffed out the flame in the lantern. He stared at their peaceful forms for a moment as they lay twisted together in the darkness, not knowing what to do. He settled on heading to his shack for some much-needed rest.

 

“Would you ever consider running away?” His target had asked him on this last mission. A look of desperation clung to the front of his kimono and he peered down at it with deceitful sympathy.

 

Ranmaru was page boy to Oda Nobunaga, and one of the very few people ever allowed to get close to him. A rumour had spread that the lord was looking to steal a secret remedy from a neighbouring clan, and Saizo was tasked with obtaining information about it. He felt silly for wasting so much time choosing the right target when the boy’s formula was so obvious; give him a bowl of sake and a listening ear and he will eagerly empty one and fill the other.

 

“Running away from what?” He asked.

 

“Everything!” Ranmaru exclaimed, as though it was obvious. “Start a new life in a new place, far away…”

 

“I can’t say that I’ve ever thought about it,” he lied. He felt a strange sensation in his gut suddenly weigh on him. He thought he recognized it as guilt.

 

He continued to ponder the question as the boy prattled on. He half-listened, skimming his noise for the information he desired, thankful that he wouldn’t have to seduce anyone this time around. Ranmaru was so thin that it looked as though he was living on nothing but Nobunaga’s konpeito, and Saizo felt a bad for him, reminded of his apprentice.

His mind drifted to Soma, also, as it did again in the comfort of his humble shack where he still brooded over the young Ranmaru’s words. Would Soma ask to run away with him someday? Smiling at the thought, he finally closed his eyes for a long nap.

 

Yukimura paced restlessly in front of Saizo’s hideout. He knew each time they said goodbye might be the very last time, and he wondered why it always had to be this way. He wondered why Saizo chose to live so far away from the rest of them whenever they were in Kai, in some lonely old shack in the woods. Even if he should be used to it by now, it still bothered Yukimura that his friend always wanted to distance himself. Thinking about it, he never felt closer to Saizo as when they were together with Soma. He wanted so badly to talk to him about what had happened. He certainly couldn’t talk to anyone else about it.

Against his better judgement, he finally tried the door, and it opened for him easily. The moment he set foot inside, however, someone jumped on his back and brought him down to the ground. He wrestled in a familiar way with the figure before realizing who it was.

Saizo’s red eyes blinked in recognition, peering down at him from where he sat on his belly. He had his arms pinned to the floor above his head, but quickly relaxed his grip. Without a word, he slid his hands upward to entwine their fingers together and brought his mouth down to meet his. Yukimura, surprised, struggled briefly before finally relenting to the man’s kiss.

 

 _Is this is revenge for what happened in Nagoya?_ He wondered.

 

He felt one of Saizo’s hands slide down the front of his body while they kissed, reaching behind where he sat to sightlessly grope the bulge developing between his legs. He moaned into the shinobi’s mouth and his hips jutted forward to meet his touch. The latter gave a pleasant hum before selfishly pulling away.

 

“I am not putting that huge thing in my ass,” he announced with a smirk that made Yukimura blush a new shade of red. “So don’t ask me.”

 

“I-I-I didn’t…!”

 

“I take it you spoiled the little lady rotten for me?” Saizo redirected their conversation as he proceeded to lick and nibble at Yukimura’s sensitive throat.

 

The young lord shrugged, not wanting to lie, but not knowing how much information was appropriate for him to divulge. Saizo’s mouth felt so good on his skin that it made it very difficult to concentrate on anything else. Saizo knew exactly where to touch him and when, as though they shared some kind of mental link. He felt the man’s tongue slide down his jugular vein, leaving a damp trail that tingled when the air hit it. He then kissed along the line of his collar while he continued to stroke his erection through his clothes. Yukimura felt something hard press against his belly, and brought his hands down to Saizo’s belt to free his friend of his garments. Soon he was sitting atop him in nothing but his naked, white skin. He was so exotic-looking and feminine that the young lord almost forgot that he was becoming excited over another man.

He sat up, and Saizo pulled the opening of his yukata over his shoulders to expose his chest and arms, kissing along his bare skin. Yukimura impulsively grasped Saizo’s hard prick in his hand, and he shuddered with an intense breath. He was clearly very sensitive down there.

 

“Does that feel good, Sai?” The young lord whispered, feeling daring. _Has it really been that long for him?_

 

“Gengirou…!” He hissed, his knees shaking under him. Yukimura’s own length bobbed in reaction to hearing his childhood name expressed as a moan.

 

He grabbed his friend’s wrists and pinned them behind his back, forcing him to arch away slightly. Saizo looked down at him with an immodest expression while his exposed prick bounced in front of his face, the tip glistening wet. Cautiously, Yukimura lowered his head and sucked it into his mouth. He heard him gasp, and he decided to let the whole thing slip past his lips. He hovered near the base, admiring the tenacity of his own gag reflex while his partner moaned and shook. He tasted salty and sweet. He had washed himself earlier in a spring, and smelled of the forest, as well.

Yukimura knew it felt good to be taken into Soma’s mouth this way, and he hoped that Saizo was enjoying his own amateur efforts. He always wanted so badly to impress him, please him, that he was only too happy to go to these lengths in order to do so.

 

“What are you doing…?” Saizo gasped while his body twitched excitedly.

 

Yukimura slid his prick out of his mouth and looked up at him. Saizo’s eyes burned with lust as he stared him down. He watched his shinobi’s mind race behind these intense eyes, ever appreciative of the man’s strange allure, even before their impulsive kiss at the inn near Nagoya.

 

“I’m sucking your cock, _dear_ …” He playfully replied.

 

Saizo whimpered. It was obvious that what was happening had been a kind of fantasy of his. He gave an embarrassed chuckle before Yukimura went back to work on him, releasing his hands only to feel them settle confidently on either side of his head. While he continued, he felt his long fingers tangle in his hair.

 

“Mm… Just like that…” Saizo moaned, his raspy voice breaking from the tension building within him. “Oh fuck, you’re going to make me…!”

 

“You came all over me!” Yukimura griped while Saizo caught his breath. He still cradled the young lord’s head in his hands like he was petting a big puppy.

 

“Yeah, I suppose I did…” He offered, refusing to apologize for something clearly enjoyed by everyone involved.

 

“That’s- _Ew!_ The last time I come poking around here, that’s for sure…”

 

Saizo stopped what he was doing and looked at him with the same expression he used whenever the lord was _being too sweet for his own good_.

 

“There, there…” He said before going to retrieve something for them to use to clean up.

 

He found a cloth in a basket of laundry and knelt down beside Yukimura to wipe the cum off his burly chest. The young lord folded his arms behind his head and let him do all the work; a scathing look from him indicated that this was all his fault, anyway. Saizo couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. He was just horny as hell and got a little carried away, that’s all. Yukimura was the one who decided to start sucking him off.

 

“You don’t have to act so proud,” Yukimura pouted, looking away. Saizo started to become annoyed by his spoiled behaviour.

 

“Was she worth your prized virginity, Genjirou?” He asked him, outright. Yukimura’s eyes went wide as he quickly looked back at him.

 

If the young lord wanted to fight, Saizo had plenty for them to fight about. He wasn’t gone a few weeks before Soma was taken right from under him. It was part of their agreement, he supposed, but when he saw them in bed together everything in him knew that he should have been in Yukimura’s place.

 

“Soma was everything you said she would be,” his voice wobbled. He began to cry, which made Saizo grimace. “Even more than that. She said that she loved me, you know… But she was thinking about you, Saizo. It’s always been you on her mind, you bastard. You can’t get jealous now. I only did what you asked me to. I bet she doesn’t even know you’re back yet…”

 

Saizo blinked, not knowing at all what to say, and slumped into a seated position at the young lord’s side. He wasn’t sure if Yukimura was trying to make him feel bad, or was simply feeling sorry for himself. He reasoned that it was probably a bit of both.

What Yukimura didn’t know was that he _had_ sought her out. He neglected his stomach, his sleep, just to get to her as soon as he could; but instead he found them together like _that_. It made him feel strange, like he wasn’t needed by either of them anymore. If Soma was really thinking about him while she lay with Yukimura, however, he wondered who it was she was really confessing her love for. He wondered now, too, whether she only lay with the young lord to satisfy the arrangement between the two men. The guilty pang in his guts began to churn with a renewed fervour as his mind raced, a barrage of repressed emotions hitting him all at once. He impulsively bolted outside to vomit.

 

“Hey, are you okay?” His ever-loyal friend called after him as he rushed to the door, holding only his fundoshi over his privates. It was quite something to see the young man’s naked form in broad daylight, but Saizo wasn’t in the mood anymore.

 

“If you care about me at all, you’ll go get me something to eat,” he said after he wretched fruitlessly a few times into a shrub.

 

As agreed, Soma and Sasuke finished their chores and went to seek Lord Kojuro in his chambers for their lesson. The man met them at the door, and welcomed them inside with a warm smile. Sasuke caught one look of Bontenmaru and darted past the grownups into the sitting room to greet him. The tortoise looked up at the child briefly before retreating into its shell.

 

“Sasuke!” Soma scolded, embarrassed by his raucous behaviour around their esteemed guest. “Remember your manners!”

 

“As you can tell,” Kojuro padded her displeasure with a chuckle, clearly a patient man with children. “Bontenmaru doesn’t much care for rudeness.”

 

“Is that so?” Sasuke said, trying to peek into the hole where the animal’s head had disappeared. “I’m sorry, Bontenmaru. I just want to be your friend…”

 

The Lord of Oshu looked back at Soma and smiled, tilting his head as if to beckon her to share in his good mood. Entranced by his gentle features, she nearly catapulted into him when she tripped over the threshold on her way inside. He caught her in his arms and held her there, his face only inches away from hers until she regained her footing. She felt herself flush, but he was unbelievably calm compared to his reaction to seeing her in her robe the day before.

Though he appeared somewhat thin, Soma felt right away that his body was in fact solid and well-stocked with muscle. She had forgotten that, on top of his many intellectual pursuits, he was a warrior of the samurai class. She found herself unable to place him as such, however. His sweet and obliging, while still completely confident demeanour in her presence was very contrary to that of the other lords she had met. She supposed that someone as intellectual as he had no reason to be boastful.

 

“Are you alright, precious girl?” He asked her in a low voice meant only for her ears. Soma giggled, unable to escape the draw of his impossibly green eyes.

 

“Yes, thank you, milord…”

 

She continued to blush as his name for her repeated in her head. _Precious girl…!_ To her further astonishment, he prompted her to take his arm so that he could escort her into the sitting room.

 

“Is Soma being clumsy again?” Sasuke teased. Kojuro chuckled once more at the boy’s attitude.

 

“Soma is like a falling star,” he thoughtfully mused.

 

“She’s clumsy but nice to look at?”

 

“Sasuke!” Soma exclaimed impulsively, her flush worsening.

 

“What a keen young man,” the lord muttered with a surprised laugh. “Now tell me, Soma, which book was it that you wanted to read today? I seem to have misplaced it…”

 

 _You are such a fibber!_ She thought.

Without a word, she marched to his bookcase and located the book of his poetry she had chosen when she was helping him unpack. She returned to his side and presented it to him with a knowing grin. He took it, reluctantly, embarrassed that she was so insistent on reading something he’d written himself.

 

It was a nice day out, so they sat by the open shoji overlooking Shingen’s magnificent gardens. Kojuro seemed at peace here, and took a moment to close his eyes, breathing in the fragrant air before thoughtfully flipping through his manuscript like he was ready to perform a ritual. He explained to his students that this was some of his Tanka, or long-form poetry. It was old-fashioned, but it could be sung lyrically to music, which was something he particularly enjoyed about writing in this style. He started with a piece that focused on an eager wisteria, much like the one he admired in the garden, that outgrew its roots. As he recited the poem, his voice raised and lowered theatrically, almost rehearsed like he’d been secretly waiting ages to perform it. Sasuke didn’t seem very interested in poetry at first, but listened in silence while off in his own world, drawing into a patch of dirt with a stick.

Kojuro pronounced each word delicately and effortlessly, though Soma had never before encountered much of the kanji she saw on the page. His vocabulary was astounding, and the seemingly benign tree slowly became an enchanting protagonist as the story unfolded. Lord Kojuro was clearly very talented, and insightful. At the end of the poem, he exhaled in catharsis as if he had just confessed some terrible thing, and looked immediately to her for validation.

 

“Beautiful…” She offered. She didn’t know what else to say. She feared anything she attempted would sound contrived.

 

He didn’t anticipate her compliment, and a kind of guilty smile etched across his lips. He doubted that she was very familiar with poetry, but even he didn’t think his was very good. He was, however, happy that it pleased her. After seeing the way Shingen threw himself at her, he desired to see her treated with a bit of gentility. He nodded to her in thanks, and allowed himself a moment to enjoy her face before she blushed and looked away.

 _You are beautiful, Soma,_ he decided to keep to himself. Having not made a woman blush in his company in literal years, he didn’t want to push his luck. He cleared his throat and redirected his attention to the task at hand.

 

“What was the lesson of the story, Sasuke?” he prompted the quiet boy, who had been drawing absently on the ground up to that point.

 

“To never forget where you come from,” he said confidently without looking up. He appeared to be lost in thought.

 

“That’s an interesting answer,” Kojuro confirmed, impressed. “Why do you think that’s important?”

 

“It’s so that…” The boy hesitated. He suddenly tossed his drawing tool away and smeared his foot across the images he’d made in the dirt. “So that you can always have a place to go back to.”

 

“Excellent point,” Kojuro confirmed once again, though he quickly realized that his silly poem had somehow struck a nerve. “Very good, Sasuke…”

 

“Thank you for the story, Lord Kojuro,” the boy said suddenly, with a bow. “I’m going to go train now.”

 

He watched Sasuke run away to join the other retainers. He didn’t know what he was going to say to the boy, but he still made a move to follow him. He felt something prevent him, and looked to his side to see Soma there, gently holding his arm. She solemnly shook her head.

 

“He’s been odd lately,” she explained. “I’ll have a talk with him later. Please forgive him, milord.”

 

“No, no, of course…” Kojuro attempted to dismiss her concern. “It is a troublesome thing to be young, isn’t it? Knowing everything and nothing, all at the same time. What was he making there?”

 

They walked to where Sasuke had scraped three meagre characters in the dirt. It was what appeared to be a mother and father with a small child standing between them. They were holding hands. The boy’s foot had made a definitive line through them all, as if to cancel them out of existence instead of just erase them.

 

“Oh, Sasuke…” Soma sighed.

 

“Where are his parents?” Kojuro asked her in a hushed voice in case the boy was still within earshot.

 

“They died when he was just small,” she replied, her dark eyes lingering thoughtfully over the sad drawing on the ground. “A priest brought him to the Sanada and he was given to Saizo as an apprentice.”

 

“Saizo…?”

 

Lord Sanada Yukimura boasted a generous nature; preferring to employ mercenaries, he managed to forge great bonds with these men in spite of their treacherous reputation. His number one man was the famous Kirigakure Saizo, called the Lord Assassin in homage to his elevated status among his peers.

A mysterious warrior from Iga of indecipherable age, his skill was known widely to have no rival, in a multitude of disciplines. Despite this, no one seemed to actually know much about him. So few had encountered him personally that they were aware of, that it was often debated whether he was simply a work of fiction. Soma spoke about him so casually, however, that it led Kojuro’s mind to ponder the nature of their relationship. To learn that the mouthy youth shadowing his precious girl was the Lord Assassin’s charge intrigued Kojuro to no end, and he felt his curiosity grow ever deeper.

 

“Oh no…” She whimpered suddenly, and clutched at her abdomen.

 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, wanting to comfort her but not knowing where to touch her that wouldn’t cause her further discomfort.

 

“Your apothecary…” She hesitated, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. “Do you have anything for pain, milord?”

 

“Oh,” Kojuro said with a blink as he suddenly clued in to what the poor girl was suffering from. “Yes, of course.”

 

He beckoned her to follow him back inside, and immediately began to rifle through his apothecary. He pulled out containers of this and that and set them out on the tatami, until he sat surrounded by vials and jars. It was becoming clear as to why he was so messy.

 _He has so much stuff!_ She thought to herself. She supposed that Lord Kojuro had many interests and simply had the means to indulge them.

She watched him collect an assortment of herbs and grind them with a mortar and pestle, then scoop the mixture into an envelope. He handed it to her with a sort of apologetic look.

 

“Thank you, milord,” she said, relieved that he was mature enough to treat her ailment with dignity. “How should I…?”

 

“Well, you can make it into a tea if you’d like,” he replied, then stroked his chin in a thoughtful way before nodding in confirmation. “Yes, that would probably be best.”

 

He proceeded to tidy up after himself, unprompted. She could tell that he wasn’t incapable of being organized; he was just easily distracted, constantly lured by one pursuit or errand after another. It was shocking that he apparently had no one employed at his home for this purpose, considering what a busy man he was. She conceded that it might be more difficult for a man of his status to find a housekeeper trustworthy enough not to be tempted to rifle through his important papers.

A loud birdcall resounded in the garden outside, causing them both enough alarm to stand up at the same time and clumsily knock their heads together. Soma faltered from the shock of it, and teetered backwards, but Kojuro grabbed her before she could hit the ground. In doing so, however, he lost a long object that was tucked away in his sleeve. It dropped to the floor with a definitive thwack and rolled a bit a ways. It was a shinobue, like the one she heard the night before. He set her on her feet and quickly recovered his flute, apparently embarrassed that she saw it.

 

“I’m sorry, milord,” she said. _I should have known it was him down in the garden…_ A man of many talents, it was no surprise. “I’m not usually so clumsy…”

 

“Neither am I…” He muttered. When she looked up at his face, he had a look like the bashful, young lord Yukimura would make.

 

Kansuke was proud of what he’d managed to do to the bottom door frame while the Lord of Oshu was outside with his pipe the night before. He only raised it perhaps a pinky’s-width, but it was just enough of a change that Soma’s would-be routine navigation of her surroundings betrayed her right into the man’s arms. He was equally proud of the birdcall he’d imitated as a distraction. Both she and Kojuro were so dopey in each other’s company that getting them tangled up together again was as easy as looking crosswise.


End file.
